The future of quarterback Aaron Rodgers remains the biggest unknown in football as the NFL offseason continues past the first week of free agency.
According to The Athletic, Rodgers is hoping to sign with the Minnesota Vikings, a team coming off a 14–3 season led by some of the NFL's top offensive skill players. However, that decision reportedly is mostly up to reigning AP NFL Coach of the Year Kevin O'Connell. Does O'Connell want to bring in a veteran Rodgers to conduct his offense? Or hand the keys to the franchise over to J.J. McCarthy, the No. 10 pick of the 2024 NFL draft?
Chase Daniel, who spent 14 years in the NFL as a quarterback from 2009 to '22, unveiled a bold take on the latest episode of the Scoop City podcast.
"If you're the Vikings ... this is a no-brainer to me," Daniel said to co-host Dianna Russini. "Pick the best quarterback out there, and that is Aaron Rodgers. I understand what people are saying—hey, J.J. McCarthy is the future, this and that.
"[McCarthy] is an unproven rookie quarterback that played at Michigan that has very little snaps. He's played in one [preseason] game. I've talked to people on the roster: 'Hey, was this a competition? Would J.J. McCarthy actually have beaten out Sam Darnold [in 2024 training camp]?' Absolutely not. The answer is a resounding no. This was Sam Darnold's job from the jump; he played really well in training camp."
Heading into the 2024 campaign, Darnold still had a big question mark and "first-round bust" tag attached to his name. But he turned his career around in a 17-game stretch, leading the Vikings one win short of clinching the NFC's No. 1 playoff seed and earning himself a three-year contract with the Seattle Seahawks in free agency.
If O'Connell can accomplish that with Darnold, he can do it with McCarthy, right? Not so fast, warns Daniel.
"It's a completely different story with a rookie who is unproven," Daniel said. "And we're not even sure if [McCarthy] is injured, if he's healthy—anything like that."
The will-they-won't-they saga between Rodgers and the Vikings rolls on.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Former NFL QB States Vikings Have 'No-Brainer' Decision to Make With Aaron Rodgers.
