The Minnesota Vikings have made it pretty clear that they aren’t in on Aaron Rodgers, so the idea of them repeating a Brett Favre situation is probably cooked.
However, that does not mean the Vikings are not looking for another veteran quarterback to provide some insurance for J.J. McCarthy (or potentially even start over him next season).
As a matter of fact, Minnesota has been linked to a wild option under center: Jameis Winston.
Will Ragatz of Vikings on SI has named Winston as a viable option for the team, noting that he is one of the biggest names remaining on the free-agent market.
To be fair, Ragatz qualified his statement by saying that Winston isn’t the best fit for Minnesota, but as he also said, the Vikings are running out of options.
But would Minnesota seriously consider signing Winston and giving him an opportunity to start in 2025? The 31-year-old played in 12 games and made seven starts for the Cleveland Browns this past season, throwing for 2,121 yards, 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
The former No. 1 overall pick is what he is at this point: someone who can rack up a lot of yards thanks to his cannon for an arm, but also someone who will throw a ton of picks.
Perhaps the Vikings just don’t want the media attention that would come with signing Rodgers, but pursuing Winston instead would not be the wisest option for them from a production perspective.
The only way this would make sense is if Minnesota views McCarthy as the sure-fire starter and would only want an experienced backup. In that case, Winston would be palatable.
However, if the Vikings are genuinely looking for someone who can start, they would be far better off going all in on Rodgers rather than giving Winston a shot.
