“All of this falls on O’Connell:” Is Kevin O’Connell Holding Up the Line?
On The Athletic, there’s a piece detailing what’s going on behind the scenes when it comes to Aaron Rodgers’ flirtation with various NFL franchises. The authors — Dianna Russini, Michael Silver, and Alec Lewis — paint a clear picture: Mr. Rodgers wants Minnesota and Kevin O’Connell gets the last word for whether Minnesota reciprocates that interest.
Consider a key quote: “O’Connell, the reigning NFL coach of the year, must decide whether he’s committed to bringing in the future first-ballot Hall of Famer, while considering the effect such a move could have on the growth of second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy, the 10th pick in the 2024 draft. To be sure, pursuing Rodgers would be an organizational decision, but O’Connell is the person with the most on the line, and it will only happen if he’s comfortable with the scenario.”
Kevin O’Connell, Aaron Rodgers, & The NFL’s QB Shuffling
At least a few things are certain about the Vikings’ quarterback conundrum.
J.J. McCarthy is getting healthier and he inspires a lot optimism in Eagan. Brett Rypien has been brought back as a key depth piece, someone who can function as a respected QB3. Kevin O’Connell has earned widespread respect for being a coach who gets a lot out of his passers. Oh, and another thing: Minnesota’s roster is good enough to compete in 2025.
All of these things are swirling in the background of the Rodgers chatter.
Back to the piece on The Athletic. The article correctly notes that signing Rodgers would signal a very different trajectory for McCarthy: “McCarthy, who missed his entire rookie season after suffering a torn meniscus in his right knee last August, had been considered the presumptive successor to Darnold. That would change if O’Connell were to go all-in with Rodgers, who suffered a season-ending torn Achilles tendon in his 2023 Jets debut and had (by his standards) a subpar 2024 campaign, winning just five of his 17 starts.”
The argument is that Minnesota’s top decision makers are willing to defer to the head coach: “Vikings owners Zygi and Mark Wilf and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who has worked in lockstep with O’Connell since both were hired three years ago, will defer to the coach’s choice of quarterbacks. The Wilfs have a 20-year track record of letting their top football executives and coaches make player-acquisition decisions and believe that O’Connell, who helped resurrect Darnold’s career in 2024, has a high level of expertise when it comes to assessing the sport’s most pivotal position.”
The authors who contribute to the piece are well respected, so there’s a danger in quibbling too much. What I will say, though, is that it’s a bit odd for the Vikings to be portrayed as being so indecisive. After all, the news of the Jets moving on from Rodgers isn’t super new, so Kevin O’Connell and the rest of the team’s leadership have had a lot of time to consider the possibility.
As the piece notes, Aaron Rodgers putting horns on his helmet would resemble what Brett Favre did back in the ’09 season.
When they sunk pick No. 10 into J.J. McCarthy, the Vikings announced through their actions that the former Michigan passer was their quarterback of the future (and possibly the present). Doing anything to disrupt that would be incredibly odd.
Left up to GM Joudry — thank goodness it isn’t — Drew Lock would be signed to a backup salary and Minnesota would move on.
Give the last word to the article we’ve been discussing: “All of this falls on O’Connell, who would have to manage Rodgers’ big personality, the heightened expectations the quarterback’s presence would trigger and the media scrutiny that would follow. It’s a swing the coach may decide is well worth taking, but it’s not a decision he’ll make lightly.”
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on social media (Bluesky & Twitter). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.
