Despite organizational confidence in J.J. McCarthy, the Minnesota Vikings have not put their ongoing flirtation with Aaron Rodgers entirely to rest.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah spoke with local media on Wednesday, March 26 — three weeks through peak free agency — and did not squash the Rodgers rumors once and for all.
He spoke openly, confirming that Kevin O’Connell has had conversations with Rodgers. But at the moment, they are comfortable seeing what they have with McCarthy.
“For me to sit here and say that anything’s 100 percent forever, that’s just not the job,” Adofo-Mensah said. “We’re responding to scenarios and different information as it comes. So obviously things can change, but right now we’re really happy with our [quarterback] room and we’re going to look to upgrade it in different ways.”
The “different ways” Adofo-Mensah referred to are more fitting of a veteran buffer who can push McCarthy in training camp but ultimately be pushed aside if the 22-year-old quarterback meets the Vikings’ expectations in training camp.
Asked to elaborate on the class of quarterback they’re on the lookout for, Adofo-Mensah vocalized that Rodgers is outside of that class and that there would be no competition with McCarthy — which would relegate McCarthy to a backup role if Rodgers landed in Minnesota.
Q: You wouldn’t consider Aaron Rodgers competition for J.J. [McCarthy] if you were to bring him in. Are you saying that would be the classification for the quarterback that you brought in? That it would be competition?
A: You want to solve for a lot of different things. You want competition, you want ability to play if they’re not the starter, all those different things. You’re just to solve for a lot of different dynamics. I’m not going to say that’s specific to Aaron, but just generally what you’re trying to accomplish in a decision.
The Vikings’ position has left Rodgers wavering in free agency. He doesn’t appear rushed to sign elsewhere, leaving the Pittsburgh Steelers hanging for weeks.
While communication between Rodgers and the Vikings has gone quiet, it may not be put to rest until summer. The Vikings do not know for certain what they have in McCarthy and must continue to evaluate him six months removed from meniscus surgery.
As a passer, McCarthy matured tremendously in a matter of months last year.
Yes, he was behind Sam Darnold for most of training camp. But coming off an impressive preseason performance against the Las Vegas Raiders, McCarthy was expected to push for first-team reps late into training camp before his rookie season was shut down.
It’s not overly optimistic to expect McCarthy to take the starting job and run with it this summer. But if there is any concern, Rodgers is a phone call away for the Vikings and appears content to gazing at the dial.
