Vikings Captain Spills the Beans on Aaron Rodgers
Minnesota Vikings safety Josh Metellus didn’t want Aaron Rodgers anywhere near his football team.
Vikings safety Josh Metellus made a revealing remark about Aaron Rodgers that’s raising eyebrows. Here’s what he said and the background behind the comment.
He didn’t want the quarterback to lead his team because Rodgers has torched him in the past on the football field, and Metellus wants to “get him back” in September.
The newly-extended Vikings safety spilled the beans this week, speaking to The 33rd Team‘s Ari Meirov.
Aaron Rodgers to Minnesota? Vikings Safety Said Nope.
For selfish reasons, Metellus preferred J.J. McCarthy in 2025.
Josh Metellus Comically Glad Aaron Rodgers Isn’t His QB
Metellus talked with Meirov this week, discussing his extension and the 2025 Vikings, on the whole.
Meirov also asked Metellus about Rodgers, a frequent occupant of Minnesota’s rumor mill in March and April. Metellus replied, “I’m so happy we didn’t bring him on the team because I want to be able to pick him off before he retires because I need to get him back for throwing touchdowns on me.”
“I can’t go out letting my favorite player of all-time growing up do me like that. I gotta get him back. I gotta get him back. I’m so happy we didn’t bring him in. I’m so happy.”
Therefore, listeners learned: a) Rodgers was evidently Metellus’ favorite player as a lad — a new development b) He wants some revenge on Rodgers in the form of an interception.
The Aaron Rodgers Temptation This Offseason
Minnesota will play Pittsburgh on September 28th in Dublin, Ireland, meaning Metellus will get his shot at Rodgers. Metellus did not intercept Rodgers when Minnesota toppled the New York Jets in London, but Camryn Bynum, Stephon Gilmore, and Andrew Van Ginkel did.
Five months later, Rodgers thrust himself front and center of the purple rumor mill, reportedly pushing general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to sign him for a one-year shot at the Super Bowl. Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell admitted brainstorming how the relationship might work, but in the end, opted to hand the baton to J.J. McCarthy, whom the team drafted 10th overall in April 2024.
But the suspense regarding the Rodgers sweepstakes was real for fans.
Picking Pittsburgh
On June 6th, Rodgers finally signed with the Steelers after holding them hostage for about four months. He’s now at camp, and Pittsburgh is projected to win eight or nine games this season.
Supporting him, Rodgers will have newcomer WR D.K. Metcalf, WR Robert Woods, TE Pat Freiermuth, RB Kaleb Johnson, and RB Jaylen Warren. There’s also the fact that Pittsburgh hasn’t experienced a losing season in 22 years.
Vikings All-In on J.J. McCarthy
Meanwhile, Minnesota has painted the QB1 emblem on McCarthy’s chest.
The young passer has played mostly well at training camp, and the next big step will occur on August 9th when the Vikings host the Houston Texans for a preseason game. McCarthy is expected to play a few drives before presumably being put on ice for the rest of the exhibition games.
In other news, Minnesota extended Metellus’ contract this week for three extra years, worth up $42 million.
The Latest on Aaron Rodgers
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac wrote about Steelers’ offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s affinity for Rodgers this summer, “In his seven seasons as an NFL offensive coordinator or head coach, Arthur Smith has had just one year in which he started training camp with an incumbent quarterback. This year is no different. But he has never had a quarterback such as Aaron Rodgers.”
“After just one week at Saint Vincent College, Smith is all but blown away by so many aspects of his 41-year-old quarterback, whom he calls a ‘perfect fit’ for what he wants to do with the Steelers offense in 2025. At the top of the list is Rodgers’ ability to throw the football — and not just because he is a former four-time league MVP and the NFL’s seventh-leading all-time passer.”
Time will tell if those “perfect fit” remarks translate to the regular season. Rodgers looked great, too, last year at Jets training camp before his team faceplanted.
Dulac added, “Smith has only had one quarterback — Ryan Tannehill with the Tennessee Titans in 2020 — who came to training camp as the incumbent starter. So moving on and adapting from Russell Wilson, even Justin Fields, is nothing new for him. It is nothing new for the Steelers, either.”
“Since Ben Roethlisberger retired, Rodgers will be the fourth different quarterback in the past four years to start a season opener.”
And count Metellus in as a guy who’s glad Rodgers didn’t sign in Minnesota — for his personal, endearing reasons.
You must be logged in to post a comment.