Report: NFL Teams Still Wonder if Aaron Rodgers is Waiting for MN Vikings

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Justin Jefferson, Aaron Rodgers - New York Jets vs Minnesota Vikings
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It seems like ages ago that the Minnesota Vikings and Aaron Rodgers were tied to one another via the early NFL Free Agency rumor mill. At the time, we believed the Vikings were trying to pair, at the least, a formidable NFL quarterback with redshirt rookie JJ McCarthy this offseason, not just to help guide him, but to push him too.

Unfortunately, there weren’t a lot of borderline starting QBs out there on the market who seemed all that interested in a training camp competition with McCarthy, who head coach Kevin O’Connell has been raving about since the offseason began.

Unless, of course, your name is Aaron Rodgers. The worst kept secret in football the past few months has been Rodgers’ desire to play for the Minnesota Vikings and their stacked arsenal of elite offensive weapons, which now stretch from the skill positions, down into the trenches, following a successful offseason restructuring of their interior offensive line.

Aaron Rodgers and Aaron Jones - Minnesota Vikings vs New York Jets - London, UK (2024)
Credit: Shaun Brooks-Imagn Images

Of course, we now know that the Rodgers + Vikings connection never came together. In the end, Minnesota never made an offer to the 4x MVP, instead all but naming JJ McCarthy the 2025 starter, based on process of elimination in a QB room that only includes him, Brett Rypien, newly acquired Sam Howell and former Gopher, Max Brosmer.

Could Aaron Rodgers still be waiting for the Minnesota Vikings?

For Aaron Rodgers, his choices appear to be down to the Pittsburgh Steelers, or retire. So far, head coach Mike Tomlin and the rest of the Steelers organization continues to wait patiently for Aaron to make his final decision.

But according to Jeremy Fowler (ESPN) on the Dan Patrick Show recently, there is still a belief around league circles that Aaron Rodgers is still waiting out the Minnesota Vikings.

“There are some teams that I talk to who are still kind of wondering like ‘is [Aaron Rodgers] just waiting out the Vikings,’ you know, because the Vikings would be an idea scenario, with one of the best play-callers in the league, with Kevin O’Connell. You’re guaranteed nine dome games per year…”

Jeremy Fowler – The Dan Patrick Show

Related: Harrison Smith Admits He’s a Big Aaron Rodgers Fan

Really, if you look back a couple months, the fact that Aaron Rodgers remains unsigned is not surprising. Nor would it be surprising if we find out that, indeed, he is waiting to see if Minnesota officially names JJ McCarthy as the starter, once OTAs (which start Wednesday) eventually lead into minicamp and training camp.

It wouldn’t be surprising if Rodgers is waiting for the Vikings…

We know Rodgers’ ideal landing spot is with the MN Vikings. We also know that, if he was sold on signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the deal would already be done. But, it isn’t. And as of May 24 at 7 PM CDT, Aaron remains an unrestricted free agent.

So, it wouldn’t be a shock me at all if Aaron Rodgers is indeed following through on his original plan, which most believed to be waiting out his best-case scenarios, until it no longer makes sense.

Unfortunately for A-Rodg, from everything Fowler is hearing out of his Vikings sources, O’Connell & Co. remain uninterested in his friend and fellow West Coast-raised quarterback.

“Checking with the Vikings, I still don’t expect [them to move on Rodgers]. They’re moving forward with JJ McCarthy. So, he really has no other option other than Pittsburgh or retire.”

Jeremy Fowler – The Dan Patrick Show

Even if the Minnesota Vikings remain out on Aaron Rodgers, I cannot blame him for the way he is approaching this offseason. In the end, we will eventually find out if his patience pays off, either for him, or the team he ends up waiting for.

Related: Justin Jefferson Putting in Work with His New Minnesota Vikings QB1

But at age 42, this is Aaron’s last ride and he knows it. Thus, I’d imagine that, what the former Packer doesn’t want to do, is sign with the Steelers too soon, just for an injury or benching to take place on a roster he views as a more viable Super Bowl threat… like the Minnesota Vikings.

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