Vikings are already dreading repeating old mistakes with Sam Darnold replacement

The Minnesota Vikings were hoping that their annual quarterback conundrums would come to an end when they selected Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Instead, McCarthy suffered a season-ending injury in his first preseason game, and veteran backup Sam Darnold, who was supposed to be a one-year rental, led the team to a 14-3 record.

Now, the team has more quarterback questions than ever. Darnold’s shockingly impressive regular season was overshadowed by his unsurprising late-season blunders, which resulted in a first-round exit from the playoffs. With McCarthy still on the mend, the Vikings need to bring in a veteran quarterback to compete for the starting role. Do they bring back Darnold and follow the same recipe as 2024? Or did Darnold price himself out of their budget?

As unlikely as it may seem, there is one possibility that could be worse than any alternative: Aaron Rodgers.

Complete the cycle: Aaron Rodgers to Vikings is still a possibility

Minnesota was named as a potential landing spot for Rodgers by Dennis Waszak Jr. of the Associated Press, and some Vikings fans are already dreading it. 

“I have been wondering and worrying about this moment for years, sometimes treating it as an absurd (or even welcome) inevitability that Rodgers would spend his final NFL days with the Vikings and other times dismissing it as impossible,” Michael Rand of The Minnesota Star Tribune wrote. 

The fear is understandable. After all, Rodgers wouldn’t be the first scorned Green Bay Packers quarterback to join the Vikings. Former Packers quarterback Brett Favre signed with the Vikings in 2009, when he was on his way out of the league.

The similarities between Favre and Rodgers are striking. Both quarterbacks had a tumultuous experience during the NFL Draft — Favre was drafted by a team that didn’t want him, and Rodgers sat alone in the green room as he slipped down the draft board. Both quarterbacks were picked up by the Green Bay Packers, where they put together Hall of Fame careers. Both had a messy end in Green Bay and left to join the New York Jets. And, of course, both of them turned out to be disappointments in New York.

Now, there’s only one last leg left to complete: After leaving the Jets, Favre joined the Vikings as a 40-year-old veteran. Rodgers’ stint in New York has come to an end, and he’ll be available for any interested team this offseason. That opens the door for the 41-year-old veteran to sign with Minnesota.

Favre led the Vikings to a 12-4 record and nearly brought them to the Super Bowl in his first season, but he finished with a 5-8 record over 13 starts in 2010, which proved to be the last year of his career. 

There are some differences for Minnesota this time around. Rodgers likely doesn’t have as much to offer as his predecessor, and the Vikings aren’t as desperate for a quarterback as they were after 2008, when 37-year-old quarterback Gus Frerotte finished as their leading passer.