While the Pittsburgh Steelers have gained confidence in their pursuit of the star, his speculation about a potential landing in Minnesota remains strong. For now, however, the Vikings have stepped back from his pursuit, unfortunately, choosing instead to give a rookie quarterback the first shot at the starting quarterback role during offseason workouts.
This decision complicates his’ situation, potentially slowing negotiations with both the Steelers and the Giants. With neither team making a decisive move, one or both could be forced into action as this stalemate continues. According to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, Rodgers has directly communicated to the Vikings that they are his preferred destination.
At 41 years old, he has been careful not to eliminate any options, as doing so would weaken his bargaining power. While he considers the Giants a legitimate destination, their contract proposal believed to be the most lucrative one he has received this offseason, has not led to an agreement. Meanwhile, the Steelers hosted him for a visit on Friday, but they are yet to improve their initial free-agency offer. Despite this, many insiders around the league still see Pittsburgh as the frontrunner. Even so, Rodgers may opt to wait for Minnesota rather than force a fit with the Steelers.
If Aaron Rodgers continues to hold out, comparisons to his former Packers teammate, Brett Favre, will undoubtedly emerge. In 2009, after the Jets released Favre due to a poison-pill clause in their trade with Green Bay, the veteran quarterback remained a free agent for over three months before ultimately signing with the Vikings on August 18. Favre delayed his decision again the following year, waiting until August 18, 2010, to announce his return. While the Giants and Steelers are unlikely to wait that long for Rodgers, Minnesota’s willingness to be patient could allow for such a scenario, as they prioritize giving McCarthy a real opportunity.
Although McCarthy has not been formally promised the starting job, he recently told Kay Adams that the Vikings have not guaranteed him the role for Week 1. Still, with no veteran quarterback currently on the roster and Minnesota having spent the No. 10 overall pick to acquire him, McCarthy is positioned as the clear favorite to lead the Vikings offense to start the 2025 season.
Some analysts seem to believe they are not making the best choice by sidelining Aaron Rodgers to pursue J.J. McCarthy, who shouldn’t be a priority at the moment.
Interestingly, the Vikings did extend an offer to Daniel Jones, which would have effectively taken them out of the Rodgers discussion had he accepted. Instead, Jones chose to sign with Indianapolis, keeping the door open for Minnesota to revisit Rodgers as an option later.
“And I’m happy they didn’t, because I try to earn it every single day,” McCarthy said during an interview on Up & Adams. “I never want that to be handed to me. It’s such a privilege and an opportunity just to have this chance, and I’m going to make the most of it every single day.”
According to Seifert, Minnesota has left open the possibility of signing Rodgers later this summer, likely after assessing McCarthy’s performance in OTAs and minicamp. If the Vikings were to reconsider, they would still have roughly seven weeks before training camp to make a final decision. However, Rodgers may already have committed to another team by then.
One lingering rumor in this saga suggests that for Rodgers, it’s Minnesota or retirement. While it is not guaranteed that he would agree to play for Pittsburgh or New York, the Steelers seem to believe he would put off retirement to join them. That decision, however, would prevent him from landing with his preferred team. This could lead Rodgers to keep waiting, even though the Steelers—at least for now—offer him the best chance to start for the entirety of the 2025 season.
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