Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell’s True Feelings on Aaron Rodgers Revealed

The Minnesota Vikings remain embroiled in a decision that could have Super Bowl implications in 2025 and long-term impacts on the QB position — whether to ink Aaron Rodgers to a contract or not.

The decision facing Minnesota is far from simple, which even Rodgers has acknowledged as he has told other teams interested in signing him this offseason that he will wait to make his own call until he hears something definitive from the Vikings.

Michael Silver, Dianna Russini and Alec Lewis of The Athletic co-authored a report on Saturday, March 15, outlining the pros and cons of Rodgers from Minnesota’s perspective while also highlighting that the choice is essentially going to come down to head coach Kevin O’Connell’s opinion on the matter.

“The general assessment of Rodgers by Minnesota’s talent evaluators and coaches is that he remains a highly-skilled passer who can still perform at a high level from the pocket, given the right supporting cast,” The Athletic reported. “Importantly, all parties believe that O’Connell is the decision maker best equipped to know and understand what [J.J.] McCarthy’s mindset is, and how the young quarterback might react to Rodgers’ presence.”

On Sunday, Silver added further reporting as part of the “Just Your Opinion, Man” podcast, in which he revealed O’Connell’s current feelings on adding Rodgers to the mix in Minnesota’s QB room.

Several prominent analysts have warned the Vikings off bringing Rodgers into the fold, even if his 20 years of NFL experience give what may otherwise be a Super Bowl roster a better chance to win in 2025 than McCarthy and the zero regular-season snaps on his resumé.

Among them is Dan Orlovsky of ESPN, who made his case on the March 11 edition of “Get Up.”

“That would be a mistake by the Minnesota Vikings. You’ve made the decision, the determination, to allow Sam Darnold to go. You’ve now declared, ‘Listen, this is more than likely J.J. McCarthy’s football team, and we want it to be J.J. McCarthy’s football team,'” Orlovsky said. “Aaron comes with a lot. Whether people like it or not, it’s a lot. Do not bring that into your building. Do not bring that into your football team. You’re handing the keys over to a young player and saying, ‘This is going to be your opportunity. Lead us forward.’ And bringing Aaron Rodgers in is going to hinder that in some capacity, stunt that in some capacity.”

Unknowns Surrounding J.J. McCarthy Complicate Vikings’ Decision on Aaron Rodgers

As Orlovsky also noted in a roundabout way, O’Connell’s decision is really one about now versus the future.

The New York Jets were 5-12 with Rodgers under center last season, but he played better down the stretch following a season-ending Achilles injury the year before and finished with nearly 3,900 passing yards, 28 TDs and 11 INTs. Rodgers will be 42 in December, but he’s also played in five conference championship games and won one Super Bowl.

There is a world in which Rodgers proves the better option for Minnesota’s stacked roster this season than McCarthy. But, that said, both Bo Nix and Jayden Daniels took their teams to the playoffs in their rookie campaigns in 2024, with Daniels carrying the Washington Commanders all the way to an NFC Championship Game appearance.

If McCarthy, just 22 years old, is that kind of player, then Rodgers isn’t necessary. Unfortunately for the Vikings, it’s impossible to know for sure before they must make a decision on Rodgers — who wants $33-$34 million annually (Darnold with the Seattle Seahawks territory), according to The Athletic’s reporting.

It is unclear how many years Rodgers is expecting on a new deal at that price, or if he would take fewer guaranteed years to join the Vikings than he would in an agreement with either the Pittsburgh Steelers or New York Giants.