Vikings Myths and Misses: J.J. McCarthy’s Return, Kirk Cousins to Minnesota, Isaiah Rodgers
The Minnesota Vikings have about 70% of their season remaining, winding down an early bye week, with the Philadelphia Eagles on their way for a Week 7 showdown in Minneapolis. In the meantime, we have nopedy nopes.
The Vikings Nopedy Nopes are alive and well after the bye week, a series focused on Vikings-themed items that are wrong, false, or just didn’t pan out.
We keep track of false or misleading Vikings-themed ideas, in addition to the stuff that just didn’t come to fruition in the purple team’s orbit — also known as nopedy nopes.
Vikings Nopedy Nopes for October 19th
The fact-checking is ready.
The Nopedy Nope: Jonathan Greenard spilled the beans, claiming on a podcast that J.J. McCarthy would return to his QB1 post this weekend.
McCarthy will not, in fact, play this weekend against the Eagles, but earlier this week, fans thought Greenard predicted a McCarthy start.
Greenard joined the Flag on Play podcast, and a bevy of show hosts picked his brain. The comment that kicked up a mini-frenzy? It was casual — and far from definitive.
“I think J.J. — he’ll probably be back this week or something like that. I think he will,” Greenard said on that show.
He went on to add, “I think J.J. with the staff we got … them dialing it up, it’s almost nearly impossible to fail. You mentioned Sam early on, Sam did a hell of a job in the same system, it’s just a matter of J.J. gotta get more comfortable and getting these reps … I like J.J. As far as a competitor, a guy that knows ball, and just wants to win, I will take J.J. any day.”
Because everyone was desperate for a clue in the Vikings’ quarterback shuffle, some took Greenard’s first remark as confirmation that McCarthy will return this weekend. But Greenard plays defense — brilliantly, to be sure — not offense. He did not have the full scoop on the plan.
More likely, his comment was just a loose expression of confidence that McCarthy’s return is close, not a guarantee of Week 7 game-readiness. It sounds like the kind of thing you say when you’ve heard a teammate’s almost ready, not when you’ve seen the whole picture.
The Verdict: Nopedy nope on trusting Greenard’s comments about McCarthy.
The Nopedy Nope: Kirk Cousins will be traded to the Vikings.
Over at Fansided.com, Christopher Kline published 10 big trade proposals for the NFL, with the league’s deadline about 2.5 weeks away.
An old friend got the nod for Minnesota: Kirk Cousins.
Kline wrote, “Yeah, yeah, yeah… I know. But let’s face it, Kirk Cousins would look awfully good in a Minnesota Vikings uniform right now! He’s in the final year of that contract and the Vikings are paying pennies on the dollar at the quarterback position right now between J.J. McCarthy and Carson Wentz.”
“While Wentz has done well enough in McCarthy’s stead, there’s a much higher ceiling with Cousins, who knows the Kevin O’Connell playbook like the back of his hand, and who was a Pro Bowl-level starter the last time he donned a Vikings uniform. McCarthy will reclaim the starting gig upon his return from injury, but this is the second ankle ailment in two seasons for McCarthy.”
Cousins earns $45 million per season for sitting on the bench.
“He’s hardly reliable. Plus, what we saw pre-injury did not exactly inspire confidence. At worst, Cousins is an overqualified veteran mentor, not dissimilar to his current role with the Atlanta Falcons. At best, he can step in for half a season, deliver Minnesota to the playoffs, and then cede the reins to McCarthy in 2026 when the kid is more up to speed,” Kline concluded.
Most teams can’t afford Cousins because of his otherworldly QB2 salary — and especially not the Vikings. Minnesota also has three capable passers in J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer.
Cousins won’t be traded back to Minneapolis.
The Verdict: Nopedy Nope on a Cousins trade to his former employer. The idea is stale. Really stale.
The Nopedy Nope: The Eagles made a real effort to re-sign Isaiah Rodgers during the offseason.
An Eagles fan account stirred the pot on X this week, posting, “Per Ed Kracz, the Eagles prioritized re-signing CB Isaiah Rodgers in the offseason. They likely would have ‘at least’ matched the Vikings offer. However, it’s unclear that he and his management ever gave them a chance, as it leaked he had agreed to the Minnesota deal 2 days before the start of Free Agency.”
Rodgers didn’t let that slide.
He fired back directly, tweeting: “Lol don’t believe the media. See yall Sunday😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂.”
Now, with the Vikings set to face his old team in Week 7, the storylines write themselves. Two sides, two versions — and a fired-up Rodgers likely ready to prove his point the best way he knows how. On the field. Maybe he’ll even score a defensive touchdown, because Lord knows he has the speed for it.
The Verdict: Nopedy nope on the Eagles trying to re-up with Rodgers — per him.
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