Vikings GM gives hint of QB plans amid Aaron Rodgers, J.J. McCarthy rumors

Back in late March, Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah raised eyebrows when he declined to slam the door shut on possibly signing veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers as 2024 first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy continues to recover from the full meniscus repair that sidelined him for all of last season. 

During an interview with NFL Network that aired on Wednesday night, Adofo-Mensah indicated he's serious about heading into the start of springtime workouts set to begin on April 21 with McCarthy atop the depth chart. 

"We talk a lot about leadership and having your quarterback embody what your culture is," Adofo-Mensah said, as shared by Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports. "And [J.J. is] somebody ... that we want to be our starting quarterback for a long time. I wanna chase this thing with [head coach Kevin O'Connell], him, myself, the alignment we have together."

Some within the Vikings reportedly are in favor of adding Rodgers to the roster, as the club is coming off a 14-3 season and is currently on track to start a quarterback who has never taken a meaningful in-game snap at the highest level. The fact that Rodgers has remained unsigned has left many members of the NFL community believing he'd rather join Minnesota than the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

It was said as recently as Wednesday that Minnesota views Rodgers as "a break-the-glass option" in the event that McCarthy suffers a physical setback or doesn't look the part by the time the team's final mandatory minicamp practice wraps up in June. For now, it sounds like the Vikings could add a so-called "camp arm" to their quarterback room this spring. 

"We're gonna look to always add depth to that room to upgrade it," Adofo-Mensah added during the segment. "But, we've set out to build a type of team that's very quarterback-friendly to a young player, from a running game, from a defensive standpoint."

Back on March 20, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk noted that a team such as the Vikings "could add a veteran with the understanding that, if Rodgers comes calling at some point down the road, the veteran will be sent packing." Minnesota may be "very quarterback-friendly" for McCarthy, but Adofo-Mensah and O'Connell are seemingly no closer to naming the 22-year-old their starter than they were over the final weekend of March.