It's hard to guess what the Minnesota Vikings QB room is going to look like one month from now, but even if Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones depart in free agency, fans should expect the team to add a veteran alongside J.J. McCarthy.
McCarthy is just 22 years old and has never taken a regular-season snap in the NFL due to a knee injury he suffered in August 2024 ahead of his rookie campaign. It is unclear if he will be ready to start in Week 1, which could mean whoever the Vikings' other top signal-caller is will have a chance to win the job.
That reality opens up the team's possibilities to find a Darnold/Jones replacement to quarterbacks interested in starting jobs, or at least the possibility of competing for one.
Enter Aaron Rodgers of the New York Jets. That organization informed the four-time MVP that it will be moving in another direction in 2025, which Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported via X on Sunday, Feb. 9.
"Big scoopage: Aaron Rodgers flew back to New Jersey last week to meet with the Jets about his future with the team, only to be told that the team was moving on from him," Glazer reported. "That means that he will be a June 1 designation that allows him to sign with any team in the league on March 12, if he decides to continue to play. Given that Aaron made the effort to fly back to discuss his future, all signs point to him continuing to play. It just won't be for the Jets."
Rodgers has been floated as a potential fit for the Vikings on a one-year deal by multiple entities over the last several months, which would ironically mirror exactly the career path of former Packers MVP quarterback Brett Favre's post-Green Bay run.
"Though Rodgers is under contract for another year, the Jets could save $9.5 million by releasing him with a post-June 1 designation," Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report wrote in January. "Following Brett Favre's Green Bay to New York to Minnesota path could be the best possible outcome for Rodgers.”
Rodgers is probably more likely to seek out a clear cut starting job sans any young challengers, which he may be able to find in a place like Cleveland or Las Vegas if those franchises don't draft a QB in the first round. However, if Rodgers is looking for a chance to win, the Vikings appear the best option.
