What Really Happened with That Big Vikings Offseason Rumor
Remember six months ago when the notion of Aaron Rodgers possibly joining the Minnesota Vikings was all the rage in the rumor mill? According to Rodgers, it wasn’t that close to reality.
Back in March and April, Aaron Rodgers to the Vikings was the hottest thing going, but thanks to a Rodgers revelation, it was all overblown.
Rodgers spoke to reporters this week before his Pittsburgh Steelers take on those Vikings, and one asked him about the Vikings offseason angle. The veteran quarterback largely shrugged off the rumor as a nothingburger.
Vikings Offseason Rumor with Aaron Rodgers Totally Downplayed
Rodgers, from the horse’s mouth, claims there wasn’t much smoke with the fire.
Aaron Rodgers Claims Vikings Rumors Really Weren’t a Thing
A few days before the meeting with Minnesota in Ireland, the media asked Rodgers about the offseason connection. His reaction? It wasn’t really a serious ordeal.
Rodgers said he and Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell have been friends for a long time and noted, “Kevin and I have been friends since 2008. We used to work out together at a little place called Fitness Quest 10 out in North County San Diego.”
“So, I’ve known him forever. We’ve been friends forever, and we keep in touch. He’s one of the guys I keep in touch with. Things never progressed farther than catch up conversations. I’ll just leave it at that.”
Per Rodgers, the idea of him turning purple never really happened. Unless he’s overtly lying.
A Media-Driven Talker
It never made much sense that Minnesota would onboard Rodgers after it watched Sam Darnold vamoose for the Seattle Seahawks and Daniel Jones choose the Indianapolis Colts. The team seemed eager to pull the cork out of J.J. McCarthy, which it ultimately did after the Rodgers rumors died out.
Still, the rumors were widespread and loud.
Dianna Russini of The Athletic often led the charge, seemingly until the bitter end when Rodgers signed with the Steelers.
“I think they’re leaning towards doing it, at this point. I just know that there are some people there that may not be fully on board,” Russini said in March about Minnesota signing Rodgers from free agency.
“And it really just comes down to the power of those people. Whatever Kevin O’Connell wants is probably what’s going to happen. And I think they’re really just having serious conversations because it is layered.”
After that comment on 93.7 The Fan, Russini re-upped the theory, almost weekly, even after the rumor mill died down. Some Vikings fans, especially Facebook users and commenters, took the bait hook, line, and sinker, calling for Rodgers to complete his best version of a Brett Favre story. Packers to Jets to Vikings.
In the end, Rodgers to Minnesota almost felt made up. Fan fiction.
What Could Have Been?
Fast forward to Week 3, and Minnesota is starting Carson Wentz at quarterback. The aforementioned McCarthy led an ultra-memorable 4th Quarter comeback in his first-ever game against the Chicago Bears in Week 1, played putridly the following week, suffered a high ankle sprain, and is now out for a few weeks.
Rodgers, meanwhile, has guided the Steelers to a 2-1 record, posting some decent volume stats with mediocre efficiency marks. He ranks 15th leaguewide per EPA+CPOE entering Week 4, while his mobility has noticeably vanished.
Finishing the Story in Week 4
Of course, per offseason storylines, this is the grudge match.
McCarthy won’t be in the lineup, the man Minnesota preferred over Rodgers in the first place, but Rodgers will have a chance to stick to O’Connell’s team — perhaps for the final time.
He’s squared off against Minnesota 30 times in his career, winning on 17 occasions, and unless Rodgers returns for his age-42 season in 2026, this is the final chapter in the Rodgers-Vikings saga.
PIT-MIN News and Notes
The Associated Press mentioned the Pittsburgh-Minnesota showdown this week: “Minnesota will have Carson Wentz at quarterback for a second straight start while J.J. McCarthy recovers from a sprained ankle. Wentz signed with the Vikings in August to provide some experienced depth behind a first-year starter and was solid during a blowout victory over Cincinnati last week.”
“There was speculation last spring that Rodgers was interested in joining longtime friend and Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell. The Vikings instead gave their unequivocal support to McCarthy, the 10th overall pick in the 2024 draft who spent his entire rookie year rehabilitating from knee surgery.”
There’s also the Mike Tomlin storyline: he defensively coordinated the Vikings before taking the big job in Pittsburgh 18 years ago.
AP added: “The addition of Wentz — now firmly in the well-traveled backup portion of his career — late in training camp gave Minnesota an experienced voice without the potentially unwieldy dynamics of having a future Hall of Famer looking over the shoulder of a potential future franchise quarterback, as it might have been if Rodgers and the Vikings ever got serious.”
“While Wentz was far from flawless against the Bengals, his play featured precisely the type of mechanics, poise and process that O’Connell and the coaching staff want their quarterback to play with.”
Overall, per Rodgers’ mouth, his free-agent adventure to Minnesota was never really considered.
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