Vikings Linked to Controversial Quarterback
For the second consecutive season, the Vikings enter an offseason with uncertainty on the quarterback position. Last year, starter Kirk Cousins decided to leave town to join the Atlanta Falcons. His old team acquired Sam Darnold in free agency and J.J. McCarthy in the draft to fill the void in 2024 and beyond.
Vikings Linked to Controversial Quarterback
Darnold is now set to become an unrestricted free agent and is expected to have a significant asking price for his services; the purple team could look at 2024 rookie McCarthy to take over. However, coming off his knee injury, folks around the league expect the Vikings to hire another veteran passer, either as a bridge option or to mentor the youngster.
Options like Joe Flacco, Andy Dalton, Jacoby Brissett, or Jameis Winston are available. Daniel Jones might be the front-runner after spending the last couple of months in the Twin Cities under Kevin O’Connell’s tutelage.
But a new candidate has emerged. What if longtime rival Aaron Rodgers would quarterback the Vikings? Over Super Bowl weekend, reports have emerged that have the Jets moving on from the future Hall of Famer after two years. The veteran will be looking for a new job in March.
His retirement has been on the table for years, but if he keeps playing, the Vikings could be his next employer, said ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday.
My guess would be that he ends up playing,” Schefter said on The Pat McAfee Show. “He’s gonna want to continue playing. I would guess he’ll want to do it at a place that wants him. Here’s a guy that, I think he’s made more money than any NFL player in history right now. So that gives him the ability to sit back and be selective about what he does and doesn’t want to do.
And then he added the Vikings to the conversation, “It’s a fluid, moving thing. Is Minnesota gonna lose Sam Darnold, or are they gonna bring him back?”
Rodgers is undoubtedly one of the best players to ever compete in the National Football League, and the Vikings have been on the opposite side of him far too often to ignore that. The 2005 first-rounder has thrown for almost 63,000 yards and 503 touchdowns to an absurd interception number of only 116.
He won back-to-back MVP awards in 2020 and 2021. The following 2022 campaign was his last in Green Bay, and he played at an average level in an offense that slowly transformed into a run-first unit because he couldn’t carry the team as he once could.
After his trade to the New York Jets, he famously suffered a torn Achilles tendon a few snaps into his tenure with his second green team and missed the remainder of the season. Last year, he returned to the field, and the raw statistics look quite solid, with 3,897 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.
In the more advanced metric EPA/Play, however, Rodgers ranks 22nd, just above Carolina’s Bryce Young and potential Vikings QB2 Daniel Jones.
That is the kind of play the Vikings want from an insurance policy for McCarthy and a potential spot starter in case the 22-year-old isn’t ready for one reason or another.
Regardless, Rodgers is a controversial figure and will arrive at his next team with a complicated personality that an entire organization must be willing to deal with.
That could be a dealbreaker for the Vikings because the potential headache might not be worth the difference Rodgers could bring to the table compared to one of the previously mentioned borderline starters like Dalton or Flacco.
At the end of the day, Rodgers to the Vikings has been a fun theory in previous years because it could mirror Brett Favre’s career path but it would be rather shocking to actually see him in purple.
Rodgers turned 41 in December, and the Vikings can talk to the agents of new quarterbacks (unless they extend the contracts of Jones or Darnold) on March 10.
Editor’s Note: Information from Over The Cap, rbsdm, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt