Kevin O’Connell Sticks a Fork in a Longstanding Vikings QB Rumor
Not unlike a monster at the end of a horror movie, the Aaron Rodgers discussion has proven to be stubbornly difficult to overcome. Thankfully, Kevin O’Connell offered a pretty definitive word on the matter in recent days.
In fairness, Dan Barreiro wasn’t asking about Minnesota signing the controversial passer; mercifully, that ship has sailed (the KFAN interview arrived in late July). Rather, the question was about whether there genuinely was interest in signing the passer. Mr. Rodgers wanted to become a Viking. Fair, the Vikings have a good thing going. Did the team actually want him back? Was there mutual interest?
Kevin O’Connell Still Fending Off Aaron Rodgers Chatter
Coach O’Connell had a lot of good things to say of Rodgers, someone who is going to be in the Hall of Fame someday.
O’Connell’s thoughts: “I’ve said it on record, and it shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody. I’ve known Aaron Rodgers for a long time. And it was a circumstance where there were some conversations personally between him and I, and the idea of him possibly either wanting to or becoming a Minnesota Viking.”
Not too long afterwards, O’Connell describes the “utmost amount of respect” he has for the former Packer and Jet.
Now, go ahead and see where Kevin O’Connell brings things.
“Ultimately, I think everything worked out the way it was supposed to,” the head coach insists. “We always went into this offseason — even before it ever started — wondering, ‘how do we put the best possible team in place to ultimately uplift [J.J. McCarthy]?'”
So, yes, there were indeed some conversations between Kevin O’Connell and Aaron Rodgers. If memory serves, the head coach (as well as GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah) already confirmed as much in previous interviews. A conversation(s), it turns out, is quite different from a contract.
The team now moves ahead with the young passer who was chosen at No. 10 in the 2024 NFL Draft. No doubt, the kid QB has areas where he needs to grow — consider Exhibit A & Exhibit B — but that’s true of every sophomore player in the NFL. Football cannot be perfected, leading the best to continually chase better.
Currently, McCarthy is the clear-cut QB1. In fact, no one appears to be particularly close within the competition. All of Brett Rypien, Sam Howell, and Max Brosmer offer their reasons for intrigue and concern, but none are being looked at as seventeen-game options for the regular season.
Kevin O’Connell’s Vikings will be taking on Aaron Rodgers overseas in the 2025 NFL season. On Sunday, September 28th, Minnesota will be the road team against Pittsburgh. The game is taking place in Ireland, so the possibility exists that there could be more Vikings fans than Steelers fans.
Regardless of how the fan distribution works out in the stadium, fans watching from North America can see the pair of passers try to outduel each other with the understanding that Kevin O’Connell had a brief flirtation with Rodgers before the team fully put its weight behind McCarthy.
