Vikings Explore QB2 NOT Named Aaron Rodgers
The Minnesota Vikings need a backup quarterback, and it’s not a secret.
Vikings Explore QB2 NOT Named Aaron Rodgers
So far in free agency, the purple team has notably signed Ryan Kelly (C), Will Fries (G), Jonathan Allen (DT), Javon Hargrave (DT), and Isaiah Rodgers (CB) in addition to re-upping with Aaron Jones (RB), Byron Murphy Jr. (CB), Theo Jackson (S), and Harrison Smith (S).
And per SI.com’s Albert Breer, Minnesota has also checked in on Joe Flacco, formerly of Baltimore Ravens fame.
Breer wrote this week, “Joe Flacco visited the Giants last week — which was a way, I think, for the team to check him out, and for Flacco to get his name back in circulation. Yes, he’s 40. But as a one-year solution, at a way cheaper rate than Cousins or Rodgers, I think the guy can still play.
“And the Browns, Steelers and Vikings think enough of him still to have checked on him.”
Joe Flacco as a Viking
Listen, Minnesota is down to slim pickings for a free-agent backup quarterback — so much so that some fans wonder if the current guy, Brett Rypien, is “good enough.”
However, by the time free agency is fully in the books, the team will probably add someone like Flacco, who can provide mentorship and experience behind J.J. McCarthy, who the Vikings drafted in Round 1 eleven months ago.
Flacco’s elderly by NFL standards — just not as old as Aaron Rodgers, who has bombastically frequented the Vikings’ rumor mill for a couple of weeks. At 40, he won’t threaten McCarthy’s summer pursuit of QB1 but would provide veteran dependability and mentorship.
The 2012 Super Bowl champion and MVP led the Cleveland Browns to the postseason in 2023, completely revitalizing his career, even if the Browns’ defense did most of the damage that season.
Per personality and experience, one could make the case that Flacco is the best human to hang out with McCarthy in the 2025 Vikings quarterback room.
Here’s Flacco’s career resume to date:
- Baltimore Ravens (2008–2018)
- Denver Broncos (2019)
- New York Jets (2020)
- Philadelphia Eagles (2021)
- New York Jets (2021–2022)
- Cleveland Browns (2023)
- Indianapolis Colts (2024)
QB2 .. Other Possibilities from Free Agency
What if it’s not Flacco, and what if Rodgers doesn’t sign in Minnesota?
Well, the options are limited. A player like Trey Lance could make sense, though he doesn’t quite have Flacco-like dependability. Jameis Winston will meet with the New York Giants, and if Kevin O’Connell could tame his zany on-the-field prowess, Winston could do the trick in a pinch if he doesn’t sign in New York.
Other free agents like Carson Wentz and Drew Lock remain unsigned as of March 17th.
In the last couple of seasons, after injuries ravaged the quarterback room and affected Kirk Cousins and McCarthy, Minnesota has learned the value of QB2 — Joshua Dobbs, Jaren Hall, Nick Mullens, and Sam Darnold have some stories.
J.J. McCarthy Time
On the whole, Minnesota’s quarterback inevitability is bending toward McCarthy this offseason. Minnesota has carefully designed an offseason through two months to pay impact players alongside McCarthy and his affordable rookie contract.
It’s why Rodgers in purple just doesn’t make sense. Adding him would be looking backward per age and team-building. Signing Flacco, a possibility referenced by Breer, does the opposite. Flacco won’t engulf everything in Minnesota — as Rodgers would.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero recently said about the likelihood of McCarthy earning the QB1 job: “The most likely scenario, highly likely, is that J.J. McCarthy’s going to be the starting quarterback.”
The Latest on Aaron Rodgers
The Athletic reported over the weekend, “Rodgers is hoping to sign with the Vikings, who went 14-3 in 2024 before suffering a first-round playoff defeat to the Los Angeles Rams. Meanwhile, the Vikings have been strongly weighing the possibility of pursuing Rodgers as a replacement for 2024 starter Sam Darnold, who signed a three-year, $100 million free-agent deal Wednesday with the Seattle Seahawks.”
“The bottom line: There are a lot of people waiting on Rodgers’ decision. And Rodgers, at least for now, is waiting on O’Connell.”
The betting market implies that the Pittsburgh Steelers will end up with Rodgers, which makes all the sense in the world because they need a quarterback — Minnesota does not; it has McCarthy — and Rodgers can throw to D.K. Metcalf, George Pickens, and Pat Freiermuth on Sundays.
Overall, Flacco as a Viking seems substantially more feasible than Rodgers.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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