NFL News: Aaron Rodgers, JJ McCarthy get clear message from Kevin O’Connell about Vikings QB1 job

Kevin O’Connell recently addressed the noise around the Minnesota Vikings quarterback situation involving J.J. McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers. During an interview with NFL insider Tom Pelissero on Monday, the head coach took time to discuss the team’s approach.

O’Connell made it clear that the plan is to hand McCarthy the reins for the 2025 NFL season, explaining that the Vikings have plenty of confidence in the second-year quarterback after having him learn from the sidelines last year due to injury.

“J.J. is having a great offseason. … I really don’t look at J.J. as a rookie, he’s gonna be a first-year guy competing and hopefully ends up being our starting quarterback. He’s in a great position to do that, I can’t wait to get to work with him,” O’Connell said.

However, O’Connell admitted that with a quarterback of Rodgers’ caliber available and reportedly interested in Minnesota, the least the Vikings could do was to give it a thought.

J.J. McCarthy #9 of the Minnesota Vikings warms up before the preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders at U.S. Bank Stadium on August 10, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

“Aaron and I’ve known each other for a long time. A four-time MVP, I can’t even put into words the amount of respect I have for Aaron. So when it became a possibility that Aaron may have interest in playing for the Minnesota Vikings, it’s our job to evaluate what that looks like,” O’Connell added.

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O’Connell explains that Vikings had to at least consider Rodgers

The Vikings, via general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, didn’t rule out making a move for Rodgers later in the offseason, even if their intention is to see what McCarthy could bring to their offense.

Rodgers has reportedly chosen the Pittsburgh Steelers according to people around the NFL, but as long as he keeps on pushing his announcement, the Vikings could still be seen as a possibility.

O’Connell is excited to see McCarthy in action, but he felt that the right thing to do was to have an internal discussion about Rodgers first: “You have to take the time to visit those topics and have that kind of dialogue as an organization. We wanted to make sure J.J. feels he’s in a position to hit the ground running this spring and put himself in a position to have a great 2025, which is kind of been the plan all along.”

O’Connell told McCarthy about conversation with Rodgers

While the Rodgers rumors made many headlines, McCarthy was kept in the loop about this situation the entire time. O’Connell wanted to be honest with his quarterback before he heard about it from elsewhere.

“I do see him every day throughout the week, and thought it was important, just so that he was hearing it from me, and my perspective, from the first time I had any communication in regards to Aaron and any of the other free agents we’ve discussed,” O’Connell said.