Aaron Rodgers to Vikings Is Alive, Says One Voice
“Not so fast on that other reporting,” says The Athletic.
Aaron Rodgers to Vikings Is Alive, Says One Voice
Credible intel emerged Wednesday morning that claimed the Vikings are “out” as a destination for quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who was cut loose by the Jets earlier this month.
Most Vikings fans rejoiced, excited for the dawn of the J.J. McCarthy era. But mere minutes after reporting from NFL Network and ESPN, The Athletic‘s Dianna Russini emphatically declared that Rodgers in Minnesota is still quite real.
The “Not So Fast” from The Athletic
NFL Network‘s Tom Pelissero ruled out Minnesota for Rodgers on Wednesday morning, as Vikings fans on social media breathed a sigh of relief, ready to proceed in the 2025 offseason with McCarthy as the unabashed starting QB1 plan.
But Russini tweeted, “The Vikings have strongly considered and will continue to monitor Aaron Rodgers as an option, but they’re not ready to commit at this point in the offseason, per sources. They understand this could lead to him signing elsewhere or retiring. J.J. McCarthy’s spring will be key.”
Fans criticized Russini, telling her to “let it go,” as she and The Athletic have been the driving force of all Rodgers-to-Minnesota rumors.
“There’s no ‘in’ or ‘out’ on Aaron Rodgers from Minnesota — they’re simply not making a decision at this time. Now we wait to see what Rodgers wants to do,” she added via separate tweet.
The NFL Network + ESPN Reporting
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert tweeted Wednesday, “And told the Vikings are not pursuing QB Aaron Rodgers and don’t consider him an option as they move into the next phase of the offseason, as Tom Pelissero, leaving J.J. McCarthy atop the QB depth chart. Again, Rodgers-Vikings was never likely. But it has been discussed.”
And Pelissero posted to X: “The Vikings have rejected multiple trade calls on J.J. McCarthy, telling other teams they’re moving forward with him as their quarterback, sources say. The team plans to add a veteran. But they’re not pursuing Aaron Rodgers at this time. McCarthy now enters the offseason as QB1.”
“The Vikings continue to explore multiple options for a veteran QB addition, whether through free agency or a trade. Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers’ options are now focused on the Steelers and Giants,” Pelissero added.
The tweets hit welcome eardrums of Vikings fans who are ready to end the Rodgers madness.
Otherwise, It’s J.J. McCarthy’s Time
Minnesota chose McCarthy with the 10th overall pick in last year’s draft, designating him as the quarterback of the future. The team also signed Sam Darnold one year ago as a “patchover quarterback” to McCarthy, but Darnold grabbed a larger role last August when McCarthy tore his meniscus, ending his rookie season.
Now, though, McCarthy is on a path to readiness for all purple activities this spring and summer after Darnold bolted in free agency for the Seattle Seahawks.
Marrying Rodgers for a year or two always seemed a bit strange for Minnesota, even if about 10% of the fans remained absolutely obsessed with the idea.
Rodgers Willing to Wait
After Russini’s tweets, ESPN Adam Schefter posted on X: “Nothing related to Minnesota has altered Aaron Rodgers’ timeline. One source monitoring Rodgers’ potential decision about the 2025 season said this morning that the free-agent QB still ‘is in no rush at all.'”
And that Schefter tweet mirrored other reporting from the day prior. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport suggested this week that Rodgers’ choice could just stay idle, perhaps past the 2025 NFL Draft.
“Do you draft someone? That’s about a month away, so all of us would like this done sooner rather than later. I don’t get the sense that Rodgers is in any kind of hurry at all. Could it drag out all the way to the draft like it did two years ago? Maybe it could,” Rapoport revealed.
If you’re still keeping score at home, the Schefter and Rapoport intel means Rodgers doesn’t mind dragging the process out for months; it’s just that Minnesota doesn’t have to be involved in every second of every day.
Vikings Still Need a QB2
Minnesota strangely hasn’t inked a backup quarterback to support McCarthy in 2025. They’ll need one unless the long-term plan is current QB2 Brett Rypien, who played QB4 late last season.
These are options to monitor from free agency:
- Joe Flacco
- Trey Lance
- Drew Lock
- Ryan Tannehill
- Carson Wentz
- Jameis Winston
And via the trade market, as mentioned by Pelissero:
- Kirk Cousins (Falcons)
- Jake Haener (Saints)
- Sam Howell (Seahawks)
- Joe Milton (Patriots)
- Michael Pratt (Buccaneers)
- Anthony Richardson (Colts)
- Aidan O’Connell (Raiders)
- Kyle Trask (Buccaneers)
- Clayton Tune (Cardinals)
The free-agent market might make more sense because a trade would obviously involve sending draft capital elsewhere, which Minnesota doesn’t have much in 2025.
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 MIN 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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.