Harrison Smith Responds to Buzz about Aaron Rodgers + Vikings
For a couple of weeks, the possibility of Aaron Rodgers to the Minnesota Vikings gripped the team’s fan base.
Harrison Smith Responds to Buzz about Aaron Rodgers + Vikings
About 10% to 15% of the community wanted the relationship to materialize, though the franchise appears to be handing the QB1 scepter to 22-year-old J.J. McCarthy.
So, naturally, when Harrison Smith, a friend of Rodgers, spoke with Kay Adams on Tuesday, she asked him about the idea of Rodgers as a teammate.
Harrison Smith on Rodgers to Minnesota
Smith attempted to dodge any Rodgers-themed endorsement — McCarthy is his team’s quarterback, after all.
But he told Adams: “I will say, Rodgers has been, you know I’ve played against him my whole career, and he’s always my favorite quarterback to watch and also my least favorite quarterback because he’s very tough to defend, so I’m not going to speculate on that.”
“But I have a very great appreciation for him and his talent. Some of the throws he would make, I was just like, ‘What do you want us to do?'”
The two have a mutual admiration society, and it certainly doesn’t sound like Smith would’ve been upset — at all — about Rodgers as his teammate and QB1.
The Death of Aaron Rodgers Rumors
On Wednesday, March 19th, a pair of tweets all but killed the Rodgers-Vikings fodder.
NFL Network‘s Tom 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.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert added via tweet, “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.”
The Steelers Left for Rodgers?
Fast forward to this week, and the New York Giants signed two quarterbacks: Jameis Winston and Russell Wilson.
Aside from the Vikings, the Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers were the other teams in the Rodgers sweepstakes, so Winston and Wilson to New York might leave the Steelers as Rodgers’ final destination.
Rodgers basically has these options:
- Sign with the Steelers
- Retire
- Wait until a quarterback gets injured this summer or fall
- The Browns as an unknown dark horse
- Hope McCarthy flops this spring and summer
Harrison Smith on Return for Year No. 14
Smith also chatted about his decision to return to the Vikings for one more year.
He saw the roster constructed by general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and didn’t want to miss out. He said to Adams, “I like what we did in free agency. I think we have a great group to start with, great coaching, great leadership, so I wanted to be apart of it. It’s definitely something you chase and I’m still chasing it. But the journey along the way is also important.”
“Enjoying the people you’re around and being productive and helping young guys come up. When I think of my career, if I wanted to ring chase, as they call it in basketball, that wouldn’t mean that much to me at this point in my career. I’m not knocking it all, but it wouldn’t be the same.”
Smith has shown no outward signs of performance-related decline, even as he turned 36 in February. He continues to pad a Hall of Fame resume, featuring longevity as a superpower.
“Yeah, for sure. I’ve given it thought for years. There will be a day that I’m done, it’s getting closer everyday,” Smith said about the prospect of retirement. He knows it’s imminent.
The way it’s trending, Rodgers and Smith could retire at the same time, possibly after 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.
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