The Green Bay Packers play in the toughest division in all of football. And while they've proven that they can hold their own against anybody, having an edge over NFC North neighbors will never hurt. That's why the fans are always keeping tabs on what's going on in the Twin Cities.
The Minnesota Vikings went from a Super Bowl contender to not even making the playoffs in the span of a year. That's what committing to the wrong quarterback can do to an organization, especially after having two veteran starters on the roster.
Now, after watching quarterback J.J. McCarthy look like a deer in headlights last season, it's become painfully evident that they've made a huge mistake. Despite that, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell still hasn't lost faith in the struggling signal-caller.
"It's just the timeline is in a different place for all of us than it was at that point," O'Connell said about McCarthy's future on Tuesday, per ESPN's Kevin Seifert. While Packers fans won't shed any tears if the Vikings commit to another year of McCarthy under center, it seems like not everyone in the rival NFC North organization feels the same way as their head coach.
Vikings' Mixed QB Message Is Music to Packers' Ears
While O'Connell was admitting to his faith in McCarthy, Vikings Vice President Rob Brzezinski had no choice but to admit that they might be active in the market for another quarterback.
“What we do know is we need a level of baseline quarterback play for us to be effective,” Brzezinski said, per Seifert. “We can't manufacture anything that's not there. So No. 1, what are the options? Is it reciprocal? Is it financially doable? All those things. There's just a lot of factors that go into it."
If O'Connell wants more of McCarthy, and Brzezinski is open to a new arm, there's a chance the two sides could clash. Of course, that'd be fairly on-brand for the rival franchise's offseason.
The Vikings recently fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who was reportedly McCarthy's biggest defender. He was also the same guy who let Super Bowl-winner Sam Darnold walk away, lost Daniel Jones to the Indianapolis Colts, and chose not to pursue Aaron Rodgers when he reportedly wanted to play for O'Connell.
Vikings fans thought Adofo-Mensah's exit could lead to QB stability, but that isn't the case. Whether Minnesota sticks with McCarthy or seeks another option, success won't be guaranteed, opening the door for Green Bay to laugh even more.
On top of missing his entire rookie season with a knee injury, McCarthy missed seven games with several ailments last season. He completed just 57.6% of his passes for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions, adding 181 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns.
He's still young, and there's a chance that he will turn out to be a decent quarterback. However, he clearly cost a team with a Super Bowl-caliber roster fresh off a 14-win season, and the Vikings don't have a clear avenue to improve this offseason.
That's why Packers fans can only hope the Vikings have no choice but to run it back with him next season. Green Bay already proved it could handle McCarthy during Week 12's 23-6 win, and there's a decent chance that success will be repeated if Minnesota continues down this path.