Vikings' Kevin O'Connell Explains Aaron Rodgers Contract Talks and Hypes J.J. McCarthy

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell has been impressed with quarterback J.J. McCarthy as he enters his second year in the NFL, but O'Connell also detailed the team's conversations with Aaron Rodgers in free agency.

"The second part that can be true is Aaron Rodgers is a four-time NFL MVP and somebody who, not just myself, but we've all had so much respect for competing against him," O'Connell said, per ESPN's Kevin Seifert. "And he happened to be at a point in time in his career where he was free to have some real dialogue about what his future may look like. And we happened to be one of those teams that he reached out to. And I have had a personal relationship with him going back since my playing days."

He explained that the Vikings also have faith in McCarthy.

"We took [McCarthy] 10th in the draft last year after a very extensive evaluation process," O'Connell said, via Seifert. "A lot of things that we hoped to see from him, we saw in a short amount of time. Unfortunately, he got injured and we tried to maximize as much as we could with his 'redshirt' year."

McCarthy didn't appear in the regular season during Minnesota's 2024 campaign due to a torn meniscus.

Sam Darnold started for the Vikings with the rookie out, helping lead the team to the playoffs with a 14-3 record before signing a three-year deal worth $100.5 million with the Seattle Seahawks in free agency.

Minnesota may be hesitant to solely rely on McCarthy as it attempts to return to the postseason in 2025, as he doesn't have a single regular-season snap under his belt.

The former Michigan standout showed promise in his lone preseason game, finishing 11-of-17 for 188 yards and two touchdowns to go along with an interception.

O'Connell didn't name McCarthy the Vikings' 2025 starter on Monday, explaining that he'll need to earn the job in training camp.

"I feel really, really positive about the path we're going to take with J.J. from a development standpoint, from an acceleration of reps," O'Connell said, per Seifert. "And he's going to benefit from an offseason worth of reps from the offseason program to obviously training camp and being in a competitive situation when our quarterback room is all finalized."

Rodgers is an intriguing short-term option for Minnesota. The 41-year-old threw for 3,897 yards and 28 touchdowns compared to 11 interceptions with the New York Jets in 2024.

He previously visited the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency, but he reportedly prefers to sign with Minnesota.

O'Connell confirmed that the Vikings have talked to Rodgers, but they don't reflect any concerns that the team has regarding McCarthy's long-term future.