Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said on Friday that taking the opportunity to talk to Aaron Rodgers in recent weeks was not a sign of doubt about J.J. McCarthy's ability to handle the team's quarterback job.
O'Connell said that "two things can be true at the same time" while speaking to reporters at the league meetings in Palm Beach. The team took McCarthy early in last year's draft because they believe in his potential and think he's done everything possible to maximize his growth while recovering from last year's torn meniscus, but that the chance to speak to Rodgers was something the team wasn't going to pass up.
"The second part that can be true is Aaron Rodgers is a four-time NFL MVP and somebody who, not just myself, but we've all had so much respect for competing against him," O'Connell said, via Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com. "And he happened to be at a point in time in his career where he was free to have some real dialogue about what his future may look like. And we happened to be one of those teams that he reached out to. And I have had a personal relationship with him going back since my playing days."
O'Connell said he feels "very strongly" that McCarthy is prepared to make a positive impact for the team this year and that the key for the team is now "to go to work and do it."
