The Minnesota Vikings graciously passed on signing Aaron Rodgers this offseason, despite the future Hall of Famer’s reported interest in joining them for the 2025 season.
Per NFL insider Jeremy Fowler, the decision was as much about first-year starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s contract as it was about his potential talents on the field.
“They didn’t sign Aaron Rodgers and went with McCarthy,” Fowler said as part of a recent NFL report for ESPN, “because they believe in their three-year plan — a young quarterback they like on a rookie scale. So they’ll be aggressive on the roster around him. They believe they can win a Super Bowl in the next three years.”
The paper trail certainly checks out, as the Vikings were the NFL’s second-biggest spenders in free agency this offseason at about $296 million, per Over the Cap. Minnesota’s quarterback room of McCarthy, Sam Howell, Max Brosmer and Brett Rypien will currently combine to count for less than 3% of the Vikings’ 2025 salary cap.
Ultimately, the Vikings saw more value in rolling with McCarthy and a super-cheap QB room than they did with bringing back a higher-priced veteran like Sam Darnold or Daniel Jones. While Minnesota’s decision to pass on Rodgers gained all the headlines, the team passed on a number of feasible outside veterans like Joe Flacco, Gardner Minshew and Cooper Rush this offseason.
It’s hard to blame coach Kevin O’Connell and company for sticking with McCarthy, given his untapped potential and high draft capital. If he can stay healthy and steadily improve, the Vikings should have no problem hanging around among the NFC contenders in 2025, thanks to their stacked roster from top to bottom.
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