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Confirmed: Vikings Chose JJ McCarthy Over Aaron Rodgers
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- Confirmed: Vikings Chose JJ McCarthy Over Aaron Rodgers
Shaun Brooks-Imagn Images
All eyes have been on JJ McCarthy, during the 2025 Minnesota Vikings offseason, which is now shifting to minicamp, scheduled to start on Tuesday. Today, however the Vikings are holding their annual media day, of which their redshirt rookie starting quarterback is front and center.
Many of us have a lot of belief in JJ McCarthy, just given what head coach Kevin O'Connell, GM Kwesi adofo-Mensah have said publicly, along with what media insiders and the MN Vikings social media team have fed us through legacy and social medias.
Behind the scenes of JJ McCarthy partaking in #Vikings media day.
🎥: @brad_rempel via IG pic.twitter.com/BBq1x3UM8g— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) June 9, 2025
Now that the Vikings have chosen McCarthy as their QB1, anything coming out of Eagan has to be taken with a large grain of salt. Everyone inside of Minnesota Vikings facilities, from ownership to executives to coaches and all the way down to the players have a lot invested into the success of JJ McCarthy.
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How do we know the Minnesota Vikings love JJ McCarthy…
The most telling insight into the Minnesota Vikings' heat check on JJ McCarthy's NFL readiness came back in March, when Daniel Jones turned down their $15 million offer because he knew the likelihood of winning the job over McCarthy wasn't good.
It was around that same time, however, that we really found out how Kevin O'Connell and the Vikings felt about McCarthy, when Aaron Rodgers called them up and all but threw himself at the organization for one shot at a Super Bowl run with his old pal from Cal, KOC.
Credit: Shaun Brooks-Imagn Images
After a week or two of internal debate over the pros and cons of bringing the 4x MVP in, the MN Vikings gave Rodgers the "don't wait up for us" treatment. But he waited up anyway… for months.
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Related: MN Vikings QB JJ McCarthy Reminds TJ Hockenson of Who…?
Meanwhile, KOC's confidence in McCarthy seems to have grown now that OTAs have mostly come and gone. Thus, it was no coincidence Rodgers gave up on his waiting game and signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, just days before teams started to meet this week for minicamp.
Confirmed: Vikings picked McCarthy over Aaron Rodgers
Then on Monday, Mike Jones (The Athletic) confirmed what we pretty much already knew in an article that put in tinto plain words. The Minnesota Vikings did indeed spurn Aaron Rodgers' advances, a decision that was probably etched into stone over the last couple weeks, leading to A-Rodg signing in Pittsburgh.
The Minnesota Vikings have pledged loyalty to McCarthy, their 2024 first-round pick, who missed his entire rookie season while rehabbing from a torn meniscus suffered during the preseason. Rodgers wanted to continue his career with the Vikings, but after extensive deliberations, Minnesota opted to proceed with McCarthy as its quarterback.
The Michigan product has spent these offseason practices working his way back into a flow and, thus far, has impressed teammates with his leadership skills. McCarthy hasn't been perfect, but coach Kevin O'Connell dismissed any McCarthy hiccups, calling this the learning stage. If McCarthy emerges from the offseason unscathed, he should remain the starter for Week 1.
I know Rodgers isn't what he used to be, but the Minnesota Vikings choosing what seems like "the unknown" over an O'Connell-aided Aaron Rodgers revenge tour is pretty significant, given how easy the Vikings could have made Rodgers' life.
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And not just because of KOC and his genius or longtime friendship with Rodgers, but also how much the Vikings did to beef up everything around the QB position this offseason, especially on the interior offensive line .
Doubt JJ McCarthy at your own risk…
Media and fans can apply pressure, but as long as JJ McCarthy is making a positive impression on coaches and teammates while they are all gathered together, none of the outside noise will matter.
And if you believe what the Minnesota Vikings propaganda machine has been dishing out for the past few months (I do), then optimism over their QB position is at an all-time high in Eagan.
Got better today. #Skol pic.twitter.com/PRr48V3Lt7
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) June 5, 2025
For as much faith as some of us have in our 22-year-old University of Michigan superstar, football is a game of results. And so far, when it comes to the National Football League, JJ has zero evidence to show he belongs.
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That's why, until we see McCarthy take the regular season field and perform in games that matter, we'll only be able to guess at what his play will look like, even if some of those guesses are well-educated.
Still, some forms of information aren't more revealing than others… and that is where their handling of Rodgers and other QB options this offseason is worth noting. I mean, the Minnesota Vikings have left their QB room virtually void of legitimate starting quarterbacks, outside of McCarthy.
Justin Jefferson telling us how MN Vikings feel about McCarthy too
Another big hint is the way Justin Jefferson has made it a mission to build up his relationship with the 2024 No. 10 overall draft pick. The two have lockers right next to each other, have been spotted at local sporting events, among other things.
Here is JJ McCarthy throwing to Justin Jefferson to cleanse your timeline. pic.twitter.com/45iR2sq0c6
— 𝙆𝙖𝙨𝙚 (@verysadvikings) June 6, 2025
Justin Jefferson and J.J. McCarthy were mic'd up as the TWolves clinched their second consecutive trip to the conference finals 🔥 pic.twitter.com/i6WKZN5quU
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 16, 2025
Jefferson's dedication to the bit tells us everything we need to know about what the Vikings have been communicating to their superstar wideout. That McCarthy is the present and future of this team. Not only that, but JJ will make or break whether or not JJ goes to the Hall of Fame… and that conversation goes both ways.
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Related: Justin Jefferson Reveals Why He Attended Minnesota Vikings OTAs
Not only do the Vikings not want to sew doubt in the hearts and minds of fans, but you know that O'Connell and his group of QB guru coaches in training have full belief in themselves to fix any sort of shortcomings JJ McCarthy currently has by the time training camp rolls around.
Now that we know without a doubt that the Minnesota Vikings chose JJ McCarthy over Aaron Rodgers, it adds even more pressure on the young man's plate to perform well immediately. But it also gives us our biggest indicator into just how good Kevin O'Connell and the rest inside that organization feel about him doing just that.
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