Aaron Rodgers has taken much longer than expected to sign with a new team, and it sounds like the situation is leading to some frustration around the NFL.
The Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants are both hoping to sign Rodgers to be their starting quarterback heading into 2025. Rodgers has essentially left the two teams hanging, as his preference is reportedly to join the Minnesota Vikings.
Rodgers appears to be waiting for the Vikings to determine whether they want to sign him or go all-in on JJ McCarthy. Minnesota traded up a spot to draft McCarthy 10th overall last year, but the former Michigan star suffered a torn meniscus in the preseason.
Aaron Rodgers looking on with the sun in his eyes
Florham Park, NJ May 31, 2023 — Aaron Rodgers during the Jets OTA. Photo Credit: Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK
During an appearance on “SportsCenter” Sunday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Rodgers still has “standing offers” from the Steelers and Giants. When Fowler asked a source about the situation, he received a notable one-word description of Rodgers as a response.
“I checked with the source from one of those teams about a timeline for Rodgers. I got back a text with the Webster’s dictionary of the word enigma,” Fowler said, via Joseph Zucker of Bleacher Report. “And so that’s kind of the feeling right now. Teams are waiting this out, waiting on Rodgers. The feeling is there’s not just a money consideration here. There’s fit, there’s surroundings, all those things.”
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell has had success with multiple quarterbacks in recent years. He may feel that there is no need to pay Rodgers a huge salary if McCarthy is ready to step into a starting role.
You can understand why Rodgers would have Minnesota at the top of his list, as the Vikings went 14-3 last season. They are certainly close to Super Bowl contention than the Giants, and likely the Steelers as well.
Unless they have a change of heart, it appears as if the Vikings are going to pass on Rodgers. The 41-year-old seems determined to get a final answer on that before making his choice between Pittsburgh and New York.