Predictable Name in Rumor Mill for Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings’ offseason is about one week old, and the rumor mill is hot and heavy.
Vikings Rumors: You Know Who’s Name Keeps Popping Up
And because of Brett Favre’s career arc 15 years ago, it was probably inevitable for Aaron Rodgers’ name to enter the chat for Minnesota. That time has arrived.
Rodgers, like Favre in the 2000s, has a choice between retirement — he’s 41 — perhaps re-upping with the New York Jets, or signing with another quarterback-needy team. That decision will play out in the next couple of months.
According to SI.com, Rodgers could reasonably be a quarterback solution for the Vikings in 2025, even if the purple team has rookie passer J.J. McCarthy waiting to take over.
“It’s not difficult to figure out where Rodgers would look to land if he escaped from New York: Just simply rule out non-contenders or teams already set at QB. Once you’ve done that, two teams come into plain view: the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers,” SI.com’s Colin Keane wrote this week.
Rodgers’ Jets played horribly in 2024, but he got somewhat hot in the season’s final seven games or so. New York is searching for a new general manager and head coach at the moment — including two Vikings coaches, Brian Flores and Josh McCown, and one executive, Ryan Grigson — and no one is too sure if the Jets’ soon-to-be new leadership will want Rodgers attached to the fresh start. His personality might be a bit bombastic, conspiratorial, and larger-than-everything for a new general manager and head coach. Stay tuned.
Keane continued, “With Vikings future star J.J. McCarthy still just 21 years old (plus recovering from a major injury), Rodgers could be the perfect guy to join the Vikings and keep the wins coming for their competitive roster, all the while serving as a mentor for the heir apparent McCarthy. It would be a full circle moment for Rodgers, and a fitting way to finish off his career.”
“Remember, Rodgers entered the NFL being mentored by Brett Favre on the Green Bay Packers. Interestingly, Favre’s career took him from the Packers to the Jets to the … Minnesota Vikings.”
The Vikings also have a free-agent decision on Sam Darnold afoot after Darnold led Minnesota in 2024 with 36 total touchdowns. Regrettably, he flopped in the season’s final two games, dampening fans’ enthusiasm for his return.
“Could Rodgers follow in Favre’s footsteps? Rodgers is still capable of playing at a high level … who says he wouldn’t be able to take this Vikings team deep into the playoffs next season?” Keane concluded.
If Minnesota had no McCarthy attached to the roster for the future, perhaps exploring Rodgers for a year could make sense. However, that’s not the reality, and adding Rodgers might turn the Twin Cities into a circus, potentially detrimental to McCarthy’s development.
Keane also hinted that Darnold could sign with the Jets, the team that drafted him seven years ago, which also seems unlikely.
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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