The clue was hiding in plain sight, at the tail end of the report the Vikings leaked on Wednesday morning to NFL Network.
The Vikings are not pursuing veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers “at this time.”
Given that many reacted to the news as a closing of the door on Rodgers, the Vikings have leaked clarification. They could revisit Rodgers later in the offseason.
This means that second-year first-rounder J.J. McCarthy will lead the offense in the offseason program. If he checks the boxes and looks to be the best option, he’ll continue to be the QB1. If things go sideways, Rodgers could become the emergency option.
If, of course, he hasn’t signed with another team.
In the interim, the Vikings will need at least one more quarterback, if not two. Two arms (McCarthy and Brett Rypien) aren’t enough to distribute the reps in OTAs.
Would it be better for Rodgers if he has a chance to fully prepare to play quarterback for the Vikings? Sure. But remember this — in 2009, Brett Favre didn’t sign with the Vikings until August 18. This gives the Vikings a chance to be sure that McCarthy is good to go. It also gives Rodgers an incentive to bide his time.
Will it be clunky if the Vikings suddenly pivot to Rodgers in August? Sure. But the Vikings were able to overcome the “schism” that had the team supposedly split between Tarvaris Jackson and Favre. Once Favre showed up and started flinging the pig, any and all doubts about the upgrade to the aging veteran were instantly squelched.
