The Minnesota Vikings are moving past their discussions with free agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers, leaving second-year player J.J. McCarthy atop the quarterback depth chart as offseason practices approach, sources told Kevin Seifert of ESPN.

The Vikings spent the better part of a week considering their options after Rodgers made clear he preferred to sign with the team, sources said. The internal deliberations intensified after 2024 starter Sam Darnold signed with the Seattle Seahawks and free agent Daniel Jones, whom the Vikings envisioned as a veteran wingman for McCarthy, rejected their contract offer and signed instead with the Indianapolis Colts.

Minnesota has received trade interest in McCarthy but has rebuffed those inquiries, a source told ESPN, confirming an NFL Network report.

McCarthy has recovered from surgery in August to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, an injury that made him the first quarterback in the modern draft era to be selected in the first round and miss his entire rookie season because of injury. Signing Rodgers would have added a future Hall of Fame quarterback to a team that won 14 games last season and likely would have pushed McCarthy's timetable to the 2026 season.

Instead, the Vikings plan to give McCarthy their first-team snaps during OTA practices and minicamp, sources said. Should McCarthy get reinjured or demonstrate a need for more development time, the Vikings could revisit their discussions with Rodgers before the start of training camp if he has not signed elsewhere.

Don't forget to follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/theredzoneorg 
     
Don't forget to follow us on Bluesky at https://theredzone.bsky.social

Like us on Facebook at http://facebook.com/Theredzone.org