Aaron Rodgers: Vikings Fans Should Brace for the Unthinkable
Minnesota Vikings fans shouldn’t brace for future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers to join the purple team. That probably won’t happen.
Aaron Rodgers to Vikings Momentum Takes a Sharp Turn
It’s that folks should prepare for the Rodgers saga to bleed into April, possibly after the draft.
According to the NFL powers that be, there may be no end in sight for onlookers who prefer a Rodgers resolution sooner rather than later.
Rodgers May Wait Until after the Draft for His Decision
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 proclaimed.
In pure Brett Favre form, Rodgers has transformed into a character in the last half-decade who absolutely craves attention and speculation about his future.
Some Vikings fans are already exhausted about the Rodgers debate, convinced that the franchise will hand the QB1 baton to J.J. McCarthy — the plan for the last 11 months. A small segment, though, yearns for Rodgers in purple, a throwback to the nostalgia of the Favre era from 2009 and 2010.
The Conflicting Reports
The Athletic wrote over the weekend, “Rodgers is hoping to sign with the Vikings, who went 14-3 in 2024 before suffering a first-round playoff defeat to the Los Angeles Rams. Meanwhile, the Vikings have been strongly weighing the possibility of pursuing Rodgers as a replacement for 2024 starter Sam Darnold, who signed a three-year, $100 million free-agent deal Wednesday with the Seattle Seahawks.”
“The bottom line: There are a lot of people waiting on Rodgers’ decision. And Rodgers, at least for now, is waiting on O’Connell.”
KFAN’s Paul Allen disagreed last week: “Sticking by all I’ve tweeted and said 92Noon. JJ McCarthy should and will be your starting QB in ’25, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we learn of this kind of soon.
If wrong I’ll eat it, but nah …. Skol.”
Sources tell VikingsTerritory that Rodgers in purple is unlikely to come to fruition and that national media has propped up momentum. To be clear, if one snoops around the legitimacy of the Rodgers signing in the Twin Cities, it’s always the same folks driving the narrative.
Betting Market Says Pittsburgh
Rodgers becoming a Pittsburgh Steeler is significantly more viable if one trusts the betting market. Per Polymarket, Rodgers has a 33% probability of signing on Pittsburgh’s dotted line, 28% with the Vikings, and 27% for the New York Giants. The longer Rodgers’ rigmarole persists, Minnesota might climb higher per the percentages.
Betting markets aren’t a guaranteed indicator, but they illuminate the current state of play — a barometer.
If Rodgers does not retire, the Steelers provide the most sensible landing spot — a franchise with hearty bones, a Hall of Fame head coach in the making, two fantastic playmakers in D.K. Metcalf and George Pickens, and a decent defense.
The Steelers and Giants need a quarterback. The Vikings don’t.
What about … J.J. McCarthy?
In February, McCarthy shouted out one request for the offseason, chatting with Rich Eisen: he just wants his chance to play QB1 for the team that drafted him.
“There’s a lot of things that are certainly above my pay grade and some things above his pay grade,” McCarthy replied when asked about his teammate Sam Darnold’s impending free agency.
McCarthy told Eisen, “All I could ask for is a fair opportunity. That’s the one thing I feel like everybody’s given and it’s fundamental. When money gets involved, things get complicated and reps get skewed and there’s different things that come into the whole political world that everyone talks about. I really just have to focus on controlling what I can control.”
Darnold later became a Seattle Seahawk.
Signing Rodgers would directly feud with McCarthy’s statement. That is — Rodgers’ hypothetical contract would stall McCarthy’s QB1 claim, and he’d be almost assured of sitting on the bench for another season.
Minnesota has carefully designed an offseason through two months to compensate impact players alongside McCarthy and his cheap rookie contract. Rodgers’ deal would change the budget and delay Minnesota McCarthyism.
On the other hand, one might argue the Vikings leadership can vocally denounce any Rodgers-themed rumors. They haven’t done so in the last week or so.
The Non-Rodgers QB2 Options
If it’s not Rodgers — it probably won’t be — Minnesota will still need a QB2 for the 2025 campaign.
These are options to monitor, although being held hostage to Rodgers’ post-draft decision may cross some names off the list. Free-agent QB2s aren’t waiting on Rodgers.
- Joe Flacco
- Trey Lance
- Drew Lock
- Ryan Tannehill
- Carson Wentz
- Jameis Winston
Finally, all the Vikings have to do is sign one of those men — as early as today — to substantially reduce the Rodgers frenzy. Stay tuned.
Vikings Sign Once-Electrifying Defender
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.
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