EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings have moved forward with a roster revolving around J.J. McCarthy as their starting quarterback and tabled consideration of Aaron Rodgers — even if the door remains open at least a little.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah confirmed Wednesday that the Vikings had extensive conversations about and with Rodgers, the four-time NFL MVP award winner who was recently released by the New York Jets.
The plan all along has been to turn the offense over to McCarthy this season, even if the injury that erased his rookie year and set up Sam Darnold for his breakout performance was entirely unexpected.
“When we pooled the resources we did to draft J.J. and you go through that long process and all those things, that’s the outcome we want and that’s the outcome we’re headed toward,” Adofo-Mensah said.
But given the interest Rodgers had in joining them, the Vikings felt he was an option — even at age 41 — worth exploring. Coach Kevin O'Connell had a pre-existing relationship with Rodgers and spoke at length with him about where both the team and the player were at, Adofo-Mensah said.
“Given where we are scenario-wise, we didn’t think it was the right move at this point,” Adofo-Mensah said in the first public comments the Vikings have made since free agency began two weeks ago.
One of the complications in this case is the salary cap value to the Vikings of having McCarthy on a rookie contract that would be diminished by bringing in a player such as Rodgers on a deal that would undoubtedly have to be bigger than the $10 million they paid Darnold to be the bridge last year.
But if they're suddenly unsure about McCarthy's health or development later this summer, assuming Rodgers doesn't pick the Pittsburgh Steelers instead, the Vikings could also revisit this.
“For me to sit here and say that anything’s 100%, forever, that’s just not the job, right?” Adofo-Mensah said. “We’re responding to scenarios and different information as it comes, so obviously things can change. But right now, we’re really happy with our room.”
McCarthy, the 10th overall pick in the 2024 draft, said this week on the ” Up and Adams Show ″ on FanDuel TV that the Vikings have not actually informed him he will be the starter.
“I’m happy they didn’t, because I try to earn it every single day, and I never want that to be given to me,” McCarthy said in that interview.
McCarthy also said he considers himself 100% healthy after rehabilitating from surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, which has matched the team's assessment.
“At every checkpoint, whether it’s been the draft process or practicing until the injury and really the offseason now, he’s met the bar,” Adofo-Mensah said, “He’s exceeded our expectations at every point.”
Though the Vikings have not yet cleared up the picture around their depth chart at quarterback, where Brett Rypien is currently the only other one on the roster beside McCarthy, they made significant commitments to bolster several other vital positions.
That started with the interior of both lines, with defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave and center Ryan Kelly and right guard Will Fries.
Byron Murphy was a priority re-signing at cornerback, where Isaiah Rodgers and Jeff Okudah were added to help fill voids left by departing veteran free agents. They restructured safety Harrison Smith's contract for what will be his 14th year in the league.
The Vikings also re-signed Aaron Jones and traded for Jordan Mason to solidify the running back position, and they added Rondale Moore to their wide receiver group.
Allen, Hargrave, Kelly, Fries, Okudah and Moore all missed significant time to injuries last season, and Allen, Hargrave and Kelly are all in their 30s.
“We're just always trying to find that value," Adofo-Mensah said.
Adofo-Mensah has entered the final year of his contract and has yet to sign an extension with the Vikings, who gave one to O'Connell two months ago. Adofo-Mensah, however, didn't hint at any unease about the situation.
“I promise you I don’t wake up thinking about that for one second,” he said. “I wake up thinking about how do we improve this team.”
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FILE - New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) looks out over the line of scrimmage during an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Oct. 6, 2024 in London. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano, File)
FILE - Minnesota Vikings quarterback JJ McCarthy stands before an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams Oct. 24, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun, File)
JERUSALEM (AP) — The White House says it is moving into the second phase of President Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan – breathing new life into a proposal that aims to rebuild the war-ravaged area and reshape the wider Middle East.
Trump’s Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, broke the news Wednesday in a post on X, saying the new phase will include the establishment of a transitional Palestinian governing committee and begin the complicated tasks of disarming Hamas and reconstruction.
But the announcement included few details about the new Palestinian committee or other key aspects of the plan, signaling just how much work lies ahead.
Trump's 20-point plan — which was approved by the U.N. Security Council — lays out an ambitious vision for ending Hamas’ rule in Gaza. If successful, it would see the rebuilding of a demilitarized Gaza under international supervision, the normalization of relations between Israel and the Arab world, and the creation of a possible pathway to Palestinian independence.
But if the deal stalls, Gaza could be trapped in an unstable limbo for years to come, with Hamas remaining in control of parts of the territory, Israel’s army enforcing an open-ended occupation, and its residents stuck homeless, unemployed, unable to travel abroad and dependent on international aid to stay alive.
“We’re going to do our best to try and see if we can work with the Palestinian people to try something new,” said a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the evolving plan. “It will be hard to do,” he acknowledged.
Here is a closer look at the next stages of the ceasefire and the potential pitfalls.
The ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, halting two years of fighting between Israel and Hamas. It also included the release of all remaining hostages held in Gaza in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held by Israel.
The ceasefire has largely held, though both sides accuse each other of ongoing violations. Israeli fire has killed more than 400 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials. Israel says it has targeted militants or responded to violations of the ceasefire, but the Palestinians say scores of civilians have been shot.
Palestinian militants, meanwhile, continue to hold the remains of the last hostage — an Israeli police officer killed in the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made clear he is in no rush to move forward until the remains are returned.
Netanyahu appeared to play down Witkoff’s announcement as symbolic, calling the creation of a new Palestinian committee a “ declarative move.”
The new committee will consist of independent Palestinian experts who are to run Gaza’s daily affairs under American supervision.
Wednesday’s announcement didn't say who will serve on the committee. But the other mediators of the ceasefire — Egypt, Turkey and Qatar — said it would be led by Ali Shaath, an engineer and former deputy minister in the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.
The U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said other names are expected in the next two days, and the committee will focus on attracting investment and improving the quality of life.
“This really will be a technocratic committee,” he said. “They seem to be a group that wants to have peace.”
The committee will report to the Board of Peace, a group of world leaders supervising the ceasefire and led by Trump. If the Palestinian committee is seen as just a façade, it risks not gaining public support.
Also, its exact powers remain unclear. Hamas has said it will dissolve its government once the committee takes office, but it has shown no signs that it will dismantle its military wing or security forces.
The board will oversee the ceasefire, reconstruction and an open-ended reform process by the Palestinian Authority, with the goal of one day allowing the internationally recognized authority to return to Gaza to govern.
The U.S. official said invitations for the board have been extended, but he declined to name any of the people expected to join. “It’s going to be a great list,” he said.
The key challenge will be forming a board that can work with Israel, Hamas, the mediators and international aid agencies.
One key appointment appears to have been made. Nickolay Mladenov, a former Bulgarian politician and U.N. Mideast envoy, is expected to serve as the board’s on-the-ground representative. He already has met with Netanyahu and Palestinian leaders in the occupied West Bank.
Trump's plan calls for the formation of an International Stabilization Force to maintain security and train Palestinian police to one day to take over. That force hasn't been formed yet, and a deployment date hasn't been announced.
The U.S. official insisted there is “great excitement” over the force and said there would be important announcements in the coming weeks.
But the force’s command structure and authorities remain unknown.
Hamas said it will oppose any attempts by the force to disarm it, and contributing nations may not to want to risk clashes with the militant group. Israel, meanwhile, is hesitant to trust an international body with its security needs.
Trump’s plan calls for an economic development outline to “rebuild and energize Gaza,” which suffered widespread destruction during the war and where most of the territory’s 2 million people are displaced and unemployed.
Still, no such plan has been announced, and it remains unclear who will pay for a process the U.N. estimates will cost $70 billion.
The ceasefire deal calls for Hamas to surrender its weapons under the supervision of international monitors. Militants who disarm will be granted amnesty and the option to leave Gaza.
However, Hamas, whose ideology is based on armed resistance against Israel, has said it won't disarm until Israel ends its occupation of Palestinian territories.
Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas official, told The Associated Press last month that the group is open to “ freezing or storing” its weapons while a political process takes place, perhaps over many years. It is unclear whether that would be sufficient for Israel.
Failure to disarm Hamas could lead to renewed fighting with Israel and clashes with international troops, and could block progress on the rest of the peace plan.
Under the ceasefire, Israel is to withdraw from all of Gaza, with the exception of a small buffer zone along the border. At the moment, Israel retains control of just over half of Gaza.
The plan says further withdrawals will be based upon “standards, milestones and timeframes linked to demilitarization” to be negotiated by Israel, the U.S., the international force and other “guarantors.”
There are no firm timelines for further withdrawals, and Israel may refuse to pull back further.
The plan calls for an overhaul of the Palestinian Authority, which runs the West Bank, and the creation of conditions for a “credible pathway” to Palestinian statehood.
Palestinian officials say they have begun making reforms in key areas such as corruption, the education system and payments to families of prisoners convicted in attacks on Israelis.
Israel rejects the creation of a Palestinian state and opposes any role for the authority in postwar Gaza. Without a pathway to statehood, any Palestinian support for the new system could crumble. The plan also offers no clear benchmarks or timelines for the reform process.
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff delivers a speech upon the signing of the declaration on deploying post-ceasefire force in Ukraine during the 'Coalition of the Willing' summit on security guarantees for Ukraine, at the Elysee Palace in Paris Tuesday, Jan 6, 2026. (Ludovic Marin, Pool photo via AP)
Palestinians walk amid buildings destroyed by Israeli air and ground operations in Gaza City Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Makeshift tents shelter displaced Palestinians stand among buildings destroyed by Israeli air and ground operations in Gaza City Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
