Insider Hints New J.J. McCarthy Development Sparked Vikings’ Aaron Rodgers Interest

When the Minnesota Vikings let quarterback Sam Darnold walk in free agency, the belief was the team was ready to hand the keys to the offense over to No. 10 overall pick J.J. McCarthy.

However, it’s been revealed in recent days that the Vikings have been aggressively pursuing free-agent passer Aaron Rodgers, who’s seemingly taking his time deciding where he wants to play in 2025, if at all.

But after the latest episode of The Athletic’s “Scoop City” podcast, hosted by NFL insider Dianna Russini and former NFL QB Chase Daniel, there’s speculation that the Vikings’ interest in Rodgers may run deeper than just wanting to have an experienced veteran on the roster in case McCarthy struggles as a first-time NFL starter.

According to Russini, there are genuine concerns that McCarthy, who’s recovering from a torn meniscus suffered during the preseason last year, may not be healthy enough to start Week 1.

“Where is he in this rehab?” Russini asked. “Kevin O'Connell told me on the red carpet at the night of the honors at the Super Bowl that he was ahead of schedule and he's doing well. Then at the combine, I got the sense that maybe it wasn't that optimistic. So we just got to see where he lands and like you said, they know where he's at medically.

“Mentally, where is he at now knowing that they are out here trying to bring in some competition knowing that [he might not be handed the starting job].”

The Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants are the two front-runners to land Rodgers, but Minnesota is reportedly still in the mix as well.

Of the three teams, many NFL analysts believe the Vikings, who have arguably the better supporting cast of the trio with receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, tight end T.J. Hockenson and Rodgers’ former Packers teammate Aaron Jones at running back, and present Rodgers with the best shot at winning another Super Bowl.