The debate over who should be the Vikings’ starting quarterback in 2025 has been a hot topic in the media in recent months. Sam Darnold’s solid performance leading the offense in 2024 had many believing he could return for another year — or even be the franchise guy.
However, Darnold didn’t deliver down the stretch and chose to sign with the Seattle Seahawks in free agency on a three-year deal. Even so, several other quarterbacks were rumored to be in the mix for Minnesota — with Aaron Rodgers being the most talked-about name.
One insider has revealed the reason why the Vikings are expected to roll with J.J. McCarthy next season instead of pursuing a veteran quarterback.
Ian Rapoport Believes J.J. McCarthy Is “The Guy”
During the “Pat McAfee Show”, Ian Rapoport was asked about the fact that the Minnesota coaching staff hasn’t publicly made a clear statement declaring J.J. McCarthy as the starting quarterback for next season.
“It feels like JJ McCarthy is for sure the Minnesota Vikings guy..
The conversations that have been had this week already seem to emphasize that even more” @RapSheet #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/bVxHZzFMZk
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 31, 2025
“Yeah, and KOC was just on with my buddy Pelissero on NFL Network, I think it was pretty strong that J.J. is the guy. But even if they don’t come out and say it, like, we know. And I think, like, yes, I think they’d like him to earn it, but I think it will probably happen,” Rapoport responded.
McCarthy was selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft by Minnesota and played in the team’s first preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders, completing 11 of 17 passes for two touchdowns and one interception. However, a knee injury sidelined him for the rest of the season, which opened the door for Sam Darnold to take over.
“It sounded like last year, early part of training camp, before the injury, he was really impressive anyway,” Rapoport added.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell spoke with Tom Pelissero and addressed the reported interest Aaron Rodgers had in playing for the Vikings, as well as how the team handled the situation.
#Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell joined me at the NFL annual meeting for an interview on the state of the team, a big free-agent haul — and a comprehensive answer on where everything stands with at QB. @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/MEhZedHq6R
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 31, 2025
“In regards of Aaron, we’ve known each other for a long time, four-time NFL MVP… So, when it became a possibility that Aaron may have interest in playing for the Minnesota Vikings, our job is to evaluate what that looks like.”
O’Connell went on to explain that the team needs to evaluate McCarthy’s physical condition before moving forward with the plan to have him on the field in 2025.
“After some personal dialogue with Aaron, we wanted to make sure J.J. feels that he is in position to hit the ground and run in this spring, have a great spring and put himself in position to have a great 2025, which has kinda been the plan all along”.
Even without a direct confirmation, everything coming from the Vikings’ coaching staff points to McCarthy being the franchise guy in 2025. But until Rodgers’ future is officially decided — whether that’s with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Vikings, or another team — the rumors are bound to continue.
