This offseason was a major crossroads for the Minnesota Vikings franchise. After reviving the career of Sam Darnold to an MVP-caliber season last year, they had a choice between continuing with the former first overall pick or giving their first-round pick from 2025, JJ McCarthy, a shot at the starting job.
However, during the offseason, another name entered the potential sweepstakes: Aaron Rodgers. With the Brett Favre prophecy going down step by step, it felt like a distinct possibility until the Vikings made up their minds about McCarthy. With Rodgers finally finding a new home with the Pittsburgh Steelers, O’Connell broke down the rationale behind his decision.
Why Did the Minnesota Vikings Pass on Aaron Rodgers?
Last year, O’Connell’s offensive masterstroke led to Sam Darnold putting together a campaign where he threw for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns. It was far and away the best season from a quarterback who most had given up on and was labeled as one of the worst in the entire league for the previous six seasons.
But back-to-back awful showings in Week 18 and the Wild Card Round cost Darnold a lot of the goodwill with Minnesota, eventually leading to McCarthy seeing his promotion to the starter’s job in Year 2.
The Rodgers piece of it, though, wasn’t much of a consideration. Speaking on iHeartRadio of the KFAN1003 production channel, O’Connell revealed the kind of relationship he has with the four-time MVP.
“Aaron and I have known each other since he was living in San Diego at the time that I was playing in the NFL. We worked out together in the offseason, built a friendship, a rapport. We’ve kept in touch throughout the seasons.”
As a result, there was an opportunity to take their friendship onto the gridiron this offseason. However, there was one caveat from the reigning Coach of the Year’s side. He wasn’t willing to compromise his rookie quarterback’s career, regardless of Rodgers’ decision.
#Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell talks about his discussions with Aaron Rodgers in the offseason and what he thinks about the veteran QB@iHeartRadio pic.twitter.com/UvzCGG51T7
— KFAN1003 (@KFAN1003) June 6, 2025
Unfortunately, conversations didn’t go beyond that, with McCarthy starting training camp as QB1 and Rodgers eventually signing with the Steelers ahead of mandatory minicamp.
But O’Connell did make a point to reveal that the discussions or eventual decision from both parties hadn’t changed their relationship with each other. However, their friendship will be on opposite sides of the battle lines during the season.
In Week 4, the Vikings are set to face off against the Pittsburgh Steelers in one of the most highly anticipated games of the season. Both sides will have a point to prove in the game. For Rodgers, the delay would have to be worth it, and for O’Connell to have made the right pick for his starting quarterback.
