The Vikings came into week 4’s matchup in Dublin previously undefeated internationally, and coming off an extremely convincing victory over the Bengals in week 4. On top of that, the Steelers have struggled over the past two weeks to move the ball on offense and stop it on defense.

What We Learned – Minnesota Vikings vs Pittsburgh Steelers (Wk 4)

Of course, NFL games are not played on paper or by panelists at ESPN. And “any given Sunday” is cliche for a reason. Because it’s true. And from pretty the opening whistle in Ireland, the Minnesota Vikings looked like a shell of the team we saw mop up the Bengals just one week ago.

After falling behind by 18 points entering the 4th quarter, the Vikings’ lights turned on. But they ran out of juice in the expiring moments, outscoring the Steelers 15-3 in the final period, but still falling 24-21, when the clock hit 00:00. In the end, it was a dragging, depressing loss… with a flash of late-game devastation thrown in.

.@steelers hold off the @Vikings on 4th down and secure the win in Dublin ‼️ pic.twitter.com/uHsB4L8fvC

— NFL (@NFL) September 28, 2025

Vikings offensive line issues made worse by more injuries

Their struggles started on the offensive line, mostly due to injury. Ryan Kelly returned this week, after sitting out one week with a concussion. Unfortunately, he was pulled in the first half after suffering his second concussion of the season and fifth of his career.

Minnesota’s issues up front became desperate, however, when Brian O’Neill suffered a knee injury while blocking for a field goal attempt. With Donovan Jackson out coming into this game, after undergoing wrist surgery on Monday, the Vikings o-line played most of week 4 with backups at left guard, center and right tackle.

That led to Carson Wentz being under fire all morning. The Pittsburgh Steelers piled up 6 sacks on the day, along with 13 total QB hits. While the newly acquired veteran created plenty of his own problems (keep reading), it’s difficult to foresee any Vikings quarterback having success with the type of pressure Pittsburgh was getting today.

Carson Wentz is going to wish he never took this job. pic.twitter.com/4z3cE5BBZv

— Obviously (Not) Tomlin (@Tomlin_Sense) September 28, 2025

While injuries are mostly contributed to luck, the MN Vikings do not get to hide behind that excuse. They were the ones laughing off the risk of signing so many players who have had issues staying on the field during their career.

Now here we are, just a month into the season, and half of those oft-injured players are not contributing, including LB Blake Cashman, C Ryan Kelly and EDGE Andrew Van Ginkel. And while right guard Will Fries has remained healthy, he has not been the dominant interior presence we were sold on this offseason.

Inconsistent Minnesota Vikings defense

Let’s go back to that paper we were talking about earlier. Because when you look at the boxscore from Vikings vs Steelers, you will see a game where Minnesota was the better team in many categories.

Minnesota totalled more yards (372) than Pittsburgh (313). The Vikings also won the time of possession battle pretty decisively 33:34 to 26:18 and ran 19 more plays than the Steelers. But a closer look starts to unveil the story of Sunday’s contest.

After a slow start on the ground, backup running back Kenneth Gainwell and the Pittsburgh rushing game got going as the afternoon in Dublin wore on, eventually totalling 131 yards to the Vikings’ 70. And while Minnesota’s defense held Aaron Rodgers to 200 yards and just 1 touchdown, they failed to turn the Steelers over even once.

That's ✌️ for @KENNETHGAINWEL so far today 💪

📲 Stream on NFL+: https://t.co/szceXBjRdr pic.twitter.com/pUGbgAOKhK

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 28, 2025

Overall, just like too many games so far this season, the Minnesota Vikings defense gave up too much, even if they weren’t the biggest reason for a loss. This team desperately misses Blake Cashman, but the former Gopher cannot be relied on to stay healthy, a reality that continues to bite Brian Flores & Co in the butt.

The Carson Wentz rollercoaster is a wild ride

All in all, Carson Wentz gutted out a performance overseas on Sunday that deserves more praise than it does ridicule. He was dealing with half of an offensive line that, for much of the first three quarters, couldn’t block anybody.

He finished the game 30-of-46 (65.2%) for 350 yards and 2 touchdowns. But there were way too many times where he should have gotten rid of the football and didn’t. He also makes decisions, every once in a while, that leave those watching wondering wtf he is thinking.

Carson Wentz just heaved the ball up to Jordan Addison, it was thrown way too far and almost picked 😂

Darius Slay almost had one. pic.twitter.com/FXCDPsLAET

— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) September 28, 2025

carson wentz is so back pic.twitter.com/u7Xh0XU9q5

— Annie Agar (@AnnieAgar) September 28, 2025

More time in the MN Vikings offense will help Carson Wentz settle in, but his performance next weekend in London will likely go a long way in deciding how quickly Kevin O’Connell hurries the injured JJ McCarthy back onto the active roster, out of the bye week.

Don’t look now, but during the game, a report came out that the Vikings may play McCarthy as their scout QB during practice this week, not only to give the No. 1 defense a really good look, but also to test his readiness to get back under center.

No matter what the Minnesota Vikings decide to do at QB in the near future, you’d rather choose as a 3-2 team than a 2-3 team, especially given that they have a gauntlet schedule out of the bye (Eagles, @ Chargers, @ Lions, Ravens).

Entering week 4, the Vikings feel much better about their football team than they did this time last week. Carson Wentz now has a full start under his purple and gold belt, and Minnesota’s injury problems aren’t nearly as devastating as they were in weeks 1-3.

Questions surround Vikings and Steelers entering week 4 international matchup

Nonetheless, there are a lot of questions that still surround this team. And let’s be real, their health issues are far from swept under the rug. Yes, the offensive line now has Christian Darrisaw and Ryan Kelly back. But it will not have starting left guard, Donovan Jackson.

Defensively, the Vikings looked much better in week 3, with Harrison Smith and Andrew Van Ginkel back on the field, but the ladder is questionable again, after not practicing Wednesday due to a neck injury.

The Minnesota Vikings now go as Carson Wentz goes. And while the 32-year-old veteran did make the offense look competent against the Bengals, he was far from spectacular, completing 70% of his passes, while taking three sacks and throwing for only 173 yards.

Wentz’ QB Rating was 129.8 but his QBR was much less impressive, at 34.8 (out of 100). Of course, getting Jordan Addison back from suspension should help, as will the return of Kelly, who played center for Wentz when he started for the 2021 Colts.

ESPN expects Minnesota Vikings to Destroy Pittsburgh Steelers

And if MN Vikings fans need even more feel good juice heading into Thursday evening, they should watch back some of ESPN’s Get Up from earlier in the day. Because the Vikings’ problems were the least of anybody’s concerns on that show, this morning.

The only team the Get Up cast — which includes former NFL players like Dan Orlovsky, Andrew Hawkins and Will Compton — was worried about in Dublin was the Pittsburgh Steelers. In fact, ever panelist on the show is bracing for a Vikings blowout of the Steelers Sunday across the pond.

The entire @GetUpESPN crew is bracing for a blowout in Dublin Sunday morning between the Vikings and Steelers… 👀👀

Orlovsky: "There are a couple of games I could see getting out of hand this weekend. This is one of them." pic.twitter.com/pLuZJuwkcS

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) September 25, 2025

Orlovsky: “[The Steelers] are not going to be able to run the ball against this defense, OK? This offensive run game is not good. If they don’t have success in [the short pass game], this is going to be an ugly morning Sunday morning in Dublin.”

Compton: “It’s not a question of, you know, if [the Steelers] defense will wake up. Like, they have to wake up, like that is where all the money was spent…What are they going to do offensively? They’re like, what, 31st in the league running the football. DK Metcalf came over there and he doesn’t seem to get any separation unless he can just accelerate downfield…I just don’t see what they’re gonna do offensively against the Vikings.”

Campbell: “They’re not great at running the football and down the field it’s like when Aaron Rodgers is in the pocket, he is affected by pressure for whatever reason and it’s just not typical of what we see from him. You’re going against a Brian Flores defense with those exotic pressures, it could get ugly.”

Greenie: “[The Steelers] look old and they look slow, and I’m not talking about their 41 year old quarterback.”

ESPN Get Up – Thursday, September 25

The Get Up crew is worried about the Pittsburgh Steelers on both sides of the ball against the Minnesota Vikings. By the sounds of it, they believe it could be up to Aaron Rodgers to carry the Steelers to victory, if they cannot get better in the run game and on defense.

MN Vikings a bad matchup for Steelers?

If that is indeed how the morning (CDT) plays out, the “home team” in Dublin will be in trouble. That’s especially the case if Andrew Van Ginkel (neck) — who picked Aaron Rodgers off for a touchdown last year in London — is able to play.

"Saw one guy, stiff armed him, took it to the house"

We got Andrew Van Ginkel to break down his incredible @Vikings pick six of Aaron Rodgers at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2024 👏 pic.twitter.com/Ao27i99zvB

— NFL UK & Ireland (@NFLUKIRE) April 4, 2025

The only way Pittsburgh will be able to move the ball offensively is if they can move the ball on the ground. So far, that has not been something they’ve been very good at. As Orlovsky points out, the Steelers have been out-rushed by 230 yards through three games this season.

Pittsburgh’s offense also ranks 31st in yards per carry. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings rank 9th in YPC (4.8) and they are coming off a game in which Jordan Mason ran for 116 yards on just 16 carries. Oh, and the Pittsburgh defense ranks 24th this season in rushing yards allowed per game (184.0).

Of course, this is the NFL and “any given Sunday” is their motto, for a reason. But on paper, this matchup does not look good for the Steelers.

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.

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.

Some #NFL teams still think Aaron Rodgers is “waiting out the @Vikings”, says @JFowlerESPN:

"There’s some teams I’ve talked to, they are still kind of wondering, like, is [Aaron Rodgers] just waiting out the Vikings, you know? Because the Vikings would be an ideal scenario… I… pic.twitter.com/yRwcZoqZRe

— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) May 24, 2025

“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

Aaron Rodgers best game as a Jet – Week 15 2024, Jets vs Jaguars. pic.twitter.com/eicaFRUtzB

— VintageAaronRodgers (@VentageArod) March 12, 2025

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.

Then, as soon as those Irish Vikings vs Pittsburgh Steelers rumors turned into credible reports, an even harder-to-believe scenario bubbled to the surface. Not only were the Minnesota Vikings expected to play week four in Dublin, but there were whispers behind the scenes that they could play two games overseas in the same season.

Rumors:

Vikes play Steelers in Dublin- YAY!!!

Vikes play next game in London- NAY!!!

— Ben Leber (@nacholeber) May 5, 2025

How could something like this even cross the league’s mind? Well, because two of Minnesota’s scheduled AFC North road opponents in 2025 — the Steelers and the Cleveland Browns — both have international home games on their schedule, in close proximity to one another.

Minnesota Vikings 2025 European Double-Header Locked In…

So, when the NFL decided that the Vikings were the best overseas option on the Steelers’ schedule, for their game in Dublin, Ireland… they thought, why not have them hop over the Irish Sea, for another game just 583 KILOMETERS east — one hour plane ride that costs as little as $38 — for another game against the Browns back at Tottenham Hotspur, in London?

As of Friday afternoon, it appears that’s exactly what the NFL has decided to do. Over the last 12-24 hours, the MN Vikings’ 2025 international double-header has become one of the NFL’s worst-kept secrets.

Late Thursday afternoon, Arif Hassan (wideleft.football) tweeted it out as being all but official. On Friday morning, the Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling tweeted the same thing. Both matchups will be road games, and thus not affect Minnesota’s home schedule in 2025, unlike their british cameo last season.

Hearing that the Vikings will be playing internationally in back to back weeks:

• at Steelers Week 4 in Dublin at Croke Park
• at Cleveland Week 5 in London at Tottenham

— Arif Hasan, but NFL 🏈 (@ArifHasanNFL) May 8, 2025

From what I’ve heard over the past couple weeks, it appears likely the #Vikings will play back-to-back international games this fall.

They have road games against the Steelers and Browns this year; the Steelers host in Dublin and the Browns are in London. It would be the…

— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) May 9, 2025

In its 65 year history, the Minnesota Vikings football team has never lost a game on international soil — a perfect 8-0, (4-0 in the regular season). Now, they’ll get a chance to defend that perfect overseas W/L record, first in Ireland, then back to the UK for their second game at the iconic Tottenham Hotspur stadium, in just as many seasons.

Related: Minnesota Vikings’ Greatest Position of Need – Per Mr. DVOA

As already mentioned at the top of this article, Kevin O’Connell & Co played in the iconic European football stadium last October, against Aaron Rodgers and the New York Giants. That game, as we all know, finished in a 23-17 week five Vikings victory.

In 2025, it’s the Pittsburgh Steelers’ turn to lose a home game to Europe. Their overseas assignment: Dublin, Ireland. But which team would fly out to the land of potatoes and whiskey to play as Pittsburgh’s “road” opponent? Well, that’s where the MN Vikings come in.

Week 4: Minnesota Vikings @ Pittsburgh Steelers – Dublin, Ireland

After the process of elimination — along with some rumors that surfaced a couple months ago — the Vikings were one of only a few road opponents on the Steelers’ 2025 schedule that fit into that Ireland time/schedule slot.

But late Sunday, rumors turned into reports when Pittsburgh sports radio host Andrew Fillipponi — 93.7 FM – The Fan — tweeted out that sources tell him the Pittsburgh Steelers “will host the Vikings”, not the Green Bay Packers, on September 28 (week 4).

Source: The Steelers will host the Vikings in Ireland on September 28th. Not the Packers. Contrary to popular belief. pic.twitter.com/2leihsaGpj

— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) May 4, 2025

Originally, Green Bay made sense as the Steelers’ international road opponent in 2025, especially after the Packers were recently awarded international marketing rights in in Ireland.

But when they got serious about adding Aaron Rodgers, their home game vs his former team became way too big of a deal to export overseas. If Rodgers were to land in Pittsburgh, that’s a revenge party they’d want to host domestically, and in the Steel City.

Related: NFL Exec Predicts the Rise of Sam Howell in Minnesota… and JJ McCarthy’s Demise?

The Minnesota Vikings are undefeated in seven total international games since 1983, including 4-0 in preseason games and 3-0 internationally in the regular season. The Steelers and Vikings have not faced each other since 2021, Mike Zimmer’s final year as head coach. Minnesota won that game, 36-28.

Other storylines for Vikings vs Steelers

How wild would it be if the Vikings get a chance to knock off Rodgers overseas two years in a row? Last season, with the Jets, Minnesota held Rodgers to 29-of-54 passing and forced him into three interceptions. This offseason, the Steelers have added talented wideout D.K. Metcalf to their offensive attack.

They also replaced veteran running back Najee Harris with Iowa rookie Kaleb Johnson. Prior to the 2025 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings were tied plenty to Oregon defensive lineman Derrick Harmon, who the Steelers selected in the first round.

As two of the league’s premier brands, we can probably expect more games overseas involving both the Steelers and Vikings in the future. Last year, the NFL played games in Brazil, the United Kingdom and Germany. This year, they are playing in all three of those countries again, and adding two more (Ireland and Spain).

The MN Vikings raved about their time in London last season. The only problem was that overseas contest also took a home game away from fans at U.S. Bank Stadium, which is why many fans will be surprised to hear that their Vikings could very well be heading back to Europe again next season.

In his most recent Vikings Access newsletter for the Star Tribune, longtime beat writer Ben Goessling advanced the Vikings overseas rumors further. Don’t worry, the NFL has indicated that each team will only have to give up one home game to an overseas matchup every eight seasons.

Ireland in play for Minnesota Vikings

According to his report, Minnesota has three opponents on the schedule who will play international home games in 2025 (Chargers, Browns, Steelers). But the opponent to keep the closest eye on a game in Ireland vs the Steelers.

The NFL wanted to send the Packers to play overseas vs Pittsburgh, since Green Bay is the official NFL partner there, but a potential matchup between Aaron Rodgers — should he become a Steeler — vs his former team is too enticing of a game to move overseas to Dublin.

And that is where the Minnesota Vikings come in. They too have a road game vs the Pittsburgh Steelers on their 2025 schedule, along with a rather large following in Ireland and the surrounding European countries.

“The Vikings went to London last year; could they fly across the Atlantic Ocean for a road game this fall too? They play three teams that host international games this year; the possibility of them opening the season in Brazil against the Chargers sounded remote at the owners’ meetings, and the Vikings might not return to London to face the Browns there for a second time. The game worth keeping an eye on, in fact, might be the one against the Steelers.

Pittsburgh will host the NFL’s first game in Dublin this fall, and while the Packers (who just earned international marketing rights in Ireland) have been rumored as a possible opponent, it’s believed the Steelers might want to keep the Packers game in Pittsburgh – especially if it’s Aaron Rodgers facing his former team. That could leave the Vikings, Bills, or Seahawks as possible opponents for the Steelers in Ireland. We’ll learn the matchups in the coming weeks, but the possibility of a Dublin game for the Vikings seemed plausible this week.”

Access Vikings

International games have been kind to the Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings are no stranger to playing games overseas. The next one will technically be their ninth. They’ve played four regular season games and four preseason games. Their record in those eight contests: 8-0.

All eight games have taken place in London, but it sounds like that could change as soon as next season. The NFL continues to expand its footprint in different countries, a mission that isn’t slowing down anytime soon. 2025 will be the league’s first time playing in Ireland.

It wouldn’t be the first time Minnesota has played Pittsburgh overseas, though. In 2013, the Vikings were the home team for a game at Wembley Stadium vs the Steelers. Their 34-27 victory that year was orchestrated by Matt Cassel and featured Hall of Fame running back Adrian Peterson. Both players recorded a pair of touchdowns on the day.

Adrian Peterson scored one of the great London Games touchdowns!

The @Vikings meet the @steelers again tonight on Thursday Night Football! pic.twitter.com/kVMfg9GxZ0

— NFL UK & Ireland (@NFLUKIRE) December 9, 2021

It is interesting how much the MN Vikings continue to be tied to Pittsburgh this offseason. Aaron Rodgers is basically waiting on Minnesota to come calling for his services. That seems unlikely to happen, so he’ll begrudgingly wind up playing for the Steelers.

Related: MN Vikings Misfortune Leading to More NFL Rule Changes

It’s going to be a season of turnover for Pittsburgh, regardless of what happens with the Rodgers sweepstakes. Until he saves the day, Mason Rudolph is in line to start for Mike Tomlin, after the Steelers split time between Justin Fields and Russell Wilson last season. Both QBs are now elsewhere.

The Minnesota Vikings were supposed to have nine home games and eight away games last season, but one home game, as mentioned, was moved to London. This year, their home vs road ratio flips, so the Pittsburgh (road) game moving to Dublin would be something they’d welcome, especially given their record in Europe.

While Aaron Rodgers doesn’t appear to be on the radar of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell, as of now, until the MN Vikings sign a clear backup for J.J. McCarthy, speculation connecting Rodgers to the Vikings will continue to run rampant.

Minnesota Vikings remain Aaron Rodgers dream scenario

Reports in recent weeks have been focused around Aaron Rodgers’ desire to play for the Vikings, under O’Connell’s tutelage and within an array of weapons few offenses in the league possess. If Rodgers’ actions haven’t been loud enough on their own, then insider Dianna Russini (The Athletic) has been his megaphone.

Recently, Tom Pelissero appeared on the Jim Rome Show, and he stated just how willing Rodgers is to wait. His two options are the Minnesota Vikings and the Pittsburgh Steelers. If he wanted to play in black and yellow under head coach Mike Tomlin, he would’ve already signed. But… he hasn’t.

"It's Pittsburgh or wait."@TomPelissero on Aaron Rodgers remaining options in free agency. pic.twitter.com/jmGZiCHad8

— Jim Rome (@jimrome) March 27, 2025

“This deal [with Pittsburgh] has been in place for weeks. They have discussed parameters. This is not going to be a financial issue at all for Aaron Rodgers…The Pittsburgh Steelers are the only opportunity that Aaron has…Aaron had a high interest in Minnesota…It was always a longshot in Minnesota because they have a high degree of belief that J.J. McCarthy is going to be the guy…They decided at this point, they are moving forward. I’m not anticipating that changing…We’re in a very small percentage chance here that this thing changes, and he has Minnesota open up. Aaron’s own choices right now are go to the Steelers, quiet down everything…or you sit back and say, I’m not ready to make a decision right now. Maybe you see, whether it’s Minnesota or something else, what might shake out of the trees…This is Pittsburgh… or wait.”

Tom Pelissero – Jim Rome Show

The former Packers legend has made more than $380 million during his career and doesn’t need more money. He’s also clearly not sold on what the Steelers have to offer. Mike Tomlin is a good coach, but he isn’t the QB whisperer that KOC is. D.K. Metcalf and George Pickens aren’t Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, either.

Pittsburgh has stuck their neck out knowing they need a quarterback. The Steelers needed one last year, so bad that they played two in the form of Justin Fields and Russell Wilson. Both those players are now gone elsewhere, and they look like a lonely suitor hoping that Rodgers picks them.

Minnesota doesn’t need Rodgers. Sam Darnold is more than proof enough that McCarthy should be expected to succeed. If Aaron Rodgers wants to try and wrangle one last Super Bowl though, the Vikings are his best bet. But until the Vikings tell him to kick rocks and get lost, the 4X NFL MVP has no incentive to make that decision.

MN Vikings allowing Pittsburgh Steelers to embarrass themselves

There’s no denying the resume of Aaron Rodgers. Not only does he have four MVPs, but the four-time All-Pro has also been named to ten Pro Bowls, and he has a Super Bowl ring. He’s also 42 years old, one year removed from an achilles tear, and his last team went 5-12.

Related: Insider Says Minnesota Vikings Had a Near-Perfect Free Agency

Last season Rodgers threw for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He was good-not-great with a Jets team that was terrible. What level he aided is debatable. Regardless, he’s still calling the shots while his likely future employer, and teammates, get laughed at in the process.

It’s not on the Vikings to save the Steelers, or Rodgers from himself, in this situation. They could change their own stance, or they could just sit back and watch the NFL QB landscape burn.

This according to top local insider Darren Wolfson (KSTP, SKOR North), who went on the Mackey and Judd podcast Thursday and told listeners/viewers that he’d be surprised if the Vikings do not make a move by the time the deadline passes next week. Kwesi, says Wolfson, has put too much work in with possible trade partners to not close at least one deal.

Vikings making moves on Chase Claypool?

But Doogie went even further, when asked if the Vikings are interested in trading for one of the top receivers being dangled on the trade deadline market. Well, not only are the Vikings shopping the WR market, but they’ve had notable talks with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Dialogue that has included inquiries into their young wide receiver, Chase Claypool (06:28 mark — transcript below).

“I have heard that there has been chatter with Pittsburgh. I don’t sense anything is on the cusp, that it has been serious dialogue. But [the Vikings] have at least made an inquiry about [Chase] Claypool. My understanding is there’s been dialogue with Denver but I don’t know the specifics there, so I’m not ready to say yes, they’ve specifically inquired about Jerry Jeudy. Because you think about one of their tight ends that is available. You think about KJ Hamler. There’s a myriad of possibilities in play with the Broncos.” — Darren “Doogie” Wolfson (Mackey and Judd Podcast)

Claypool Specifics and Trade Cost to Get Him

Doogie tries to downplay how serious the conversations between the Minnesota Vikings and potential WR trade partners. But Kwesi, according to Darren’s own words, is expected to make some sort of move before the deadline comes to pass. On top of that, Wolfson ranks wide receiver as one of the top-3 positions he’d expect the Vikings to upgrade.

Doesn’t that make a WR upgrade just as likely as anything else this front office might do in the next week? Sometimes, you have to read between the lines. So if the Vikings did want to target Chase Claypool, what would it take? Not as much as you might think.

Claypool gets a lot of run on ESPN but his career numbers, especially in 2021 and 2022, are rather underwhelming. He hasn’t posted a 1,000 yard season through two full years in the NFL and only grabbed 2 receiving touchdowns all of last season. Through 7 games this year, Claypool has just 24 receptions and 266 yards. Easily on pace to be the worst season of his young career. Doogie believes he can be had for a Day 2 (2nd or 3rd rounder) draft pick.

The Upside is Real for Claypool

Is Claypool worth that? When asking that question, it’s important to remember that Pittsburgh had the decrepit, disintegrating shell of Ben Roethlisberger playing QB for Chase Claypool in 2021. In 2022, it’s been rookie, Kenny Pickett, throwing to him the football.

Because Claypool is a physical freak who stands 6-4, weighs in at 238 pounds and has a vertical of 40+ inches. He’s only 24-years-old, too. If he can be had for a 3-round pick, Kwesi has to put such a move under serious consideration.

Lining Chase up in the same formation as Justin Jefferson would create a lot of anxiety-ridden preparation for opposing defensive coordinators and could be exactly what Kirk Cousins and the Vikings offense need to help take some of the defensive pressure off JJ.

#Steelers WR Chase Claypool has made some highlight-reel catches in his first two seasons.#SteelersFilm #SteelersNation #HereWeGo #NFL pic.twitter.com/szowojh5Hx

— Black and Gold Nation (@B_GNation1) July 17, 2022

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan