Aaron Rodgers Saga Has a New Twist for Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings want J.J. McCarthy as their primary quarterback in 2025, but Aaron Rodgers would like the job instead.
Aaron Rodgers Saga Has a New Twist for Vikings
That’s the latest and greatest update from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who updated the Rodgers sweepstakes on ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike show this week.
The likelihood of Rodgers becoming a Viking has dwindled to a faint whimper as the team has committed to McCarthy. It’s just that Rodgers would prefer otherwise. He wants the Vikings.
Aaron Rodgers Waiting, Hoping for Vikings
Schefter said on Unsportsmanlike, “I think he’s waiting to see, if over time, there’s any sort of chance where the odds of signing in Minnesota increase and that opportunity could open up. The Vikings have never fully dismissed it or squashed it.”
“They haven’t exactly embraced it right now, but they also haven’t had OTAs with their former 10th overall pick J.J. McCarthy back and leading the team and knowing what it’s like.”
In early March, Rodgers totally dominated the Vikings’ rumor mill, convincing some that he could sign on Minnesota’s dotted line in 2025, even if McCarthy were ready and waiting to take the big job.
Schefter added, “Those are Aaron Rodgers’ three choices: Play for Pittsburgh, wait to see if there’s another opportunity, a la Minnesota, that does, in time, open up or retire. Those are the three options.”
So, the twist is that Rodgers is holding out hope that Minnesota could evidently change its mind.
Kevin O’Connell Clears the Air
Minnesota’s head coach spoke for the first time about the Rodgers saga this week at the league’s meetings. “Two things can be true at the same time. We took J.J. McCarthy 10th in the draft last year after a very extensive evaluation process. A lot of things we hoped to see from him we saw in a short amount of time. Unfortunately, he got injured,” he said.
“We tried to maximize as much as we could his redshirt year, while still making sure we were getting Sam Darnold and our other quarterbacks ready to play. I think J.J. was able to take some things out of that and be ready to go for the spring.”
O’Connell then weighed in on Rodgers. “The second part of that can be true is Aaron Rodgers is a four-time NFL MVP, and somebody who we’ve all had so much respect for competing against him. 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,” O’Connell mentioned.
“And we happened to be one of those teams he reached out to. I have had a personal relationship with him going back to my playing days. But yeah, so two things can be true.”
In short, the Vikings explored Rodgers as an option but ultimately landed on McCarthy as the path forward, which should surprise nobody because the team drafted him for the job less than a year ago.
O’Connell concluded, “Look, you guys know near and dear to my heart is the quarterback development process. I’m going to take a very, very personal role with J.J. amongst Josh and Wes and Jordan and all the guys we’re going to have working with him. But I do feel very strongly about where he’s at right now based upon the information we have, the evaluation process, the time we’ve had with him.”
3 Options for Aaron Rodgers
Rodgers has these succinct choices, reiterated by Schefter:
- Wait around for the Vikings.
- Sign with the Steelers, and end the melodrama.
- Retire.
No End in Sight
Rodgers absolutely adores the spotlight, a card-carrying merchant of the “What will we do?” game. This personality trait will leave the Steelers in a pinch, simply waiting on Rodgers’ decision.
It will also keep the Vikings rumor mill alive and popping until Rodgers says yes or no to Pittsburgh.
Some have even hinted that Rodgers could drag this thing further into the offseason — after the draft and potentially into the summer.
They don’t compare the guy to Brett Favre for nothin’.
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 Vikings 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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