NFL analyst labels Vikings' decision to prioritize J.J. McCarthy over Aaron Rodgers, Sam Darnold as “really impressive”

NFL analyst Kyle Brandt is extremely impressed by the Minnesota Vikings' strong stance on sticking with J.J. McCarthy. The Vikings recently took themselves out of the hunt for Aaron Rodgers' services next season, instead making it clear that they're behind McCarthy for the 2025 NFL season.

Now, Rodgers is left with only a few choices as it pertains to where he'll end up playing in 2025. As for McCarthy, the Vikings seem committed to their 2024 first-round NFL Draft selection. Speaking on "Good Morning Football" today, Brandt expressed how impressive the move from Minnesota was in his opinion.

“I'm really impressed with how the Vikings are handling this. They're not just saying that we're behind J.J., they are screaming it. Understand what the Vikings have done here. First, they say no to Sam Darnold, that is a guy who won 14 games, who lit it up, who is really well-liked in the locker room.

"Sure, you could attest to this camp. They said no, we're going to move on. Then they said no to Aaron Rodgers, if we're supposed to believe these stories, which I do, nobody says no to Rodgers in football. The Packers didn't say no to him for years. The Jets didn't say no to him. Netflix doesn't say no to him. They said no to Aaron Rodgers. They don't care."

He added:

"They're saying we're behind JJ, no matter what, you've never started a game. We're behind you. You're badly injured. We're behind you. You're standing around on the sideline looking underweight with your long hair, we're behind you. It's really impressive."

J.J. McCarthy hopes for major bounce-back after spoiled NFL debut season

NFL: Las Vegas Raiders at Minnesota Vikings - Source: Imagn

The Vikings selected McCarthy with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft last year. This was fresh off a season in Michigan in which McCarthy led his program to an undefeated 15-0 season and a national championship win over Washington with a lopsided score of 34-13.

The only NFL snaps McCarthy was able to take were in the preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders, where he threw two touchdowns.

In practice following the game, McCarthy reported soreness in his right knee, and it was later determined that he had fully torn his meniscus. He required surgery to repair the injury and would be placed on injured reserve.

Now, McCarthy holds the unfortunate accolade of being the first quarterback ever selected in the first round of the draft to miss his entire rookie campaign due to injury.

Now fully healthy and with the Vikings organization firmly behind him, McCarthy is hoping for a major course correction in 2025 with the opportunity to be a full-time starter.