So far this offseason, all signs seem to point to Aaron Rodgers re-signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers for a second season, giving him a chance to reunite with head coach Mike McCarthy in the Steel City.
But, the possibility remains that Rodgers, at 42 years old, could choose to sign elsewhere for 2026 if he does decide to play. That team could be the Minnesota Vikings, a team he was connected last offseason before joining the Steelers.
For ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who appeared on UnSportsmanlike on ESPN Radio Tuesday morning, he won’t rule out the possibility of Rodgers signing with the Vikings to play under close friend Kevin O’Connell.
“He’s a free agent so he can go do what he wants. And last year I think he did want to play in Minnesota. So if he wanted to do that last year, I don’t know why he wouldn’t want to do it this year,” Schefter said of Rodgers and the Vikings, according to audio via ESPN Radio. “The issue last year was that the Vikings were very sensitive to bringing in somebody like Aaron Rodgers, who’s such a force, such a dominant personality, and how that would hinder or affect the impact or the growth of JJ McCarthy. So maybe they feel differently. It’s a different set of dynamics…I wouldn’t rule it out.
“I don’t know how likely it is or isn’t. That’s what the start of this offseason is about, and we’re about to find out. But, it came up last year. I could see it coming up again. And I can’t speak to how likely it is or isn’t to happen.”
Throughout last offseason, there were plenty of reports that Rodgers wanted to play for the Vikings and was holding out hope that Minnesota would give him an opportunity. But then-GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and the organization didn’t want to bring in Rodgers and block former No. 10 overall pick JJ McCarthy in his development, especially after he lost his entire rookie season due to a knee injury.
Rodgers tried to shoot down the notion that he wanted to play for the Vikings during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show last summer, stating that former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s belief that Rodgers was holding out for the Vikings was entirely false.
Ultimately, Rodgers signed with the Steelers and reported to mandatory minicamp in June. And even after one season with the Steelers in which he took over from a leadership perspective and has teammates wanting him back, the talk about the Vikings is popping up once again.
We’ll see what Rodgers ultimately decides, and how long he takes to decide it. Everything seems to indicate he’ll sign with the Steelers with one more year and end his career playing for Mike McCarthy. But there is that pull of playing for the Vikings and O’Connell, especially with an elite receiver in Justin Jefferson and some great weapons outside of him with Jordan Addison and TJ Hockenson, not to mention former teammate and close friend Aaron Jones at running back.
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