Vikings' J.J. McCarthy injury news combines with Aaron Rodgers in latest update

The latest news that Aaron Rodgers might still want to be a Minnesota Viking is a bit surprising.

But all indications are that the Vikings don't plan on wavering in their quarterback approach. J.J. McCarthy is their guy.

His role is crucial, too, because Minnesota has a very strong team around the second-year quarterback.

McCarthy missed the entire 2024 season, essentially not getting a rookie season, after a preseason knee injury.

Pro Football Focus writer Ryan Smith sees McCarthy as one of the most exciting injury comebacks of the 2025 season. Here's what he wrote recently:

One of the most intriguing storylines of the 2025 season will be how the Vikings look with J.J. McCarthy under center. The former first-round pick missed his entire rookie campaign after suffering a season-ending meniscus tear in the preseason opener last August. Sam Darnold stepped in admirably in his absence, guiding Minnesota to a 14–3 record and earning a career-best 80.7 PFF grade — 13th among 42 qualifying quarterbacks.

At Michigan, McCarthy was one of the nation’s top signal-callers in his final season, posting an elite 90.6 PFF grade and ranking sixth in adjusted completion percentage (80.0%).

Now healthy, McCarthy steps into a favorable situation in Minnesota with strong skill-position talent and an upgraded offensive line. Despite playing in a stacked NFC North, the Vikings currently sit at +100 to surpass 8.5 wins this season, per FanDuel Sportsbook — a bet that could hinge on how quickly McCarthy finds his footing.

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The trickiest part of this for McCarthy might be that Rodgers shadow.

Everyone knows at this point that Rodgers reportedly wanted Minnesota and that the Vikings instead opted for their former top-10 draft pick.

On the one hand, it's a confidence boost for J.J. He knows his team has his back.

On the other, if he struggles, there could be wondering from the outside about why the Vikings didn't get an established veteran to allow McCarthy to learn from.

Right now, McCarthy's backup looks to be Sam Howell, who has started NFL games but isn't the same kind of presence that a Rodgers or a Kirk Cousins would be.

It's McCarthy's world in Minnesota, and they're hoping it pans out well.

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