Aaron Rodgers began his Pittsburgh Steelers tenure on Tuesday, suiting up in black and gold at the team's mandatory minicamp. Mike Tomlin awaited the four-time NFL MVP's arrival for months, with rumors popping up that Rodgers was also interested in playing for the Minnesota Vikings.
The attraction wasn't mutual from Kevin O'Connell's crew, however, which is instead handing the keys to second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
"Rodgers definitely had interest in playing for the Vikings," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said on Sunday, H/T Sports Illustrated. "He was looking at playing for one of those elite type play callers, like Kevin O'Connell, but the Vikings' plan is clear for what I'm told. They saw this as a three-year window right now to win a championship with a really good quarterback they like on a rookie deal that can build around them with some pieces. They're going to go for it, without Rodgers officially, now."
It would have been fun to see Aaron Rodgers play for Kevin O'Connell
Entering his 21st NFL season, Rodgers' professional gridiron career is just one year younger than McCarthy. Rodgers has played in 248 regular-season contests and is allergic to miscues, sporting a league-record 1.4 percent career interception percentage. Pairing him with Justin Jefferson — especially after Sam Darnold's success throwing to him — would've been something to see.
Rodgers bounced back from the Achilles injury he suffered in 2023 to start all 17 of the New York Jets' games last season. He passed for a respectable 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, but the turmoil he left in his wake might be part of why Minnesota said "no thanks."
But the Vikings are all-in on J.J. McCarthy
McCarthy, a Michigan product and the No. 10 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, played in the Vikings' initial preseason contest last go-round before noticing swelling in his knee. Later that week, he underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus. He didn't suit back up the rest of the campaign, and his next regular-season game action will be his first.
Before his injury, McCarthy cemented himself as an early draft choice by leading the Big Ten with a 72.3 completion percentage. He threw for 2,991 yards, 22 touchdowns and four interceptions as he helped steer the Wolverines to a College Football Playoff national title.
O'Connell and Minnesota are hoping McCarthy can pick back up from where he left off, having gone 27-1 as the Wolverines' starting signal-caller. His 96.4% winning percentage was the best clip of any college quarterback since Toledo's Chuck Ealey and Oklahoma's Jimmy Harris finished a respective 35-0 and 25-0.