The Minnesota Vikings decided to roll with J.J. McCarthy this past season, and we saw exactly how that played out. Now, heading into the next year, the locker room wants a steadier hand at the helm. And Aaron Rodgers is coming up as the name that could fix things.

“There’s still some people in the building, I think, who are fans [of Rodgers].” ESPN’s Kevin Seifert revealed on KFAN radio. “People have said, ‘Well, if Rodgers is going to play next year, it’ll be with the Steelers because of Mike McCarthy.’ And I do think that they have managed to patch up whatever was plaguing them at the end of their time together in Green Bay. But I don’t know if that’s a lock.”

Reports swirled last offseason that Aaron Rodgers could have landed in Minnesota. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler called it an “ideal scenario” for the veteran signal-caller, who reportedly also showed real interest. Whispers suggested Rodgers was holding out, waiting for the Vikings to make a move. But the Vikings front office stuck with their first-round pick, McCarthy.

The gamble didn’t pay off. Minnesota finished 9-8, missing the playoffs despite McCarthy starting 10 games and going 6-4 as a starter. The team clearly needs a bridge quarterback to develop that young draft pick properly.

Right now, the hottest rumor has Rodgers heading to the Steelers. He could run it back one more year with that same squad. Plus, the hiring of Mike McCarthy as the Steelers’ new head coach this season has only stoked those flames.

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Still, ruling the Vikings completely out of the picture would be premature. Rodgers himself revealed in December that he’s open to any offers in the offseason if he decides to play.

“Whenever this season ends, I’ll be a free agent. That would give me a lot of options if I still want to play. Not a lot of options, but options. I would think maybe one or two if I decide I still want to play,” Rodgers said in December.

For Minnesota, landing a quarterback with Rodgers’ experience is crucial. The smoke rising from their locker room about McCarthy’s shaky leadership makes it even more urgent.

Vikings teammates grow restless over J.J. McCarthy’s rough ride

J.J. McCarthy shone as a star at Michigan, leading the Wolverines to Big Ten championships in all three of his seasons there. The Vikings saw that same winning pedigree when they drafted him 10th overall in the 2024 draft.

But McCarthy fell way short of those sky-high expectations. He missed his entire rookie year with a preseason injury. This season didn’t go much better. No surprise, then, that teammates are craving a stronger leader in the huddle.

“Honestly, I don’t know,” wide receiver Justin Jefferson said when asked about crossing 1,000 receiving yards, via the Up and Adams Show. “I really don’t. There were some games I only had one or two catches. Obviously, it was a plan to get me more catches, more yards, more TDs [touchdowns], but it just didn’t happen that way.”

Jefferson posted a down year with 84 receptions, compared to 103 the season before. He remained the most targeted wide receiver on the roster, with 141 targets. Yet McCarthy’s turnovers overshadowed it all. The young quarterback threw 12 interceptions this season, which is one more than his passing touchdowns.

Jefferson’s blunt words highlight a harsh truth the Vikings can’t dodge. As the team’s best wideout, he’s indirectly putting the blame on McCarthy for dragging down the offense.

“How I’m not?” Jefferson asked on the Adams show when questioned if he’s the best receiver in the league. “A lot of people base it off of the quarterback play. If I don’t have an elite quarterback that’s throwing me the ball the entire year, then it’s a little bit difficult to be in those conversations. Having a young quarterback that’s still learning the game and still learning his potential in this league, you kind of have those difficult seasons, which I had this past year.”

That’s the loud cry echoing from the Vikings locker room. The franchise craves stability at the most important position. Above all, the players need a dependable veteran like Aaron Rodgers to step in, grab the reins, and steady the ship.