Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has not clarified his next move after being released by the Jets. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Much of the anticipated veteran quarterback movement associated with NFL free agency played out last week. But the most prominent quarterback available, Aaron Rodgers, has not made a decision, leaving the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants and possibly the Minnesota Vikings waiting while the 41-year-old future Hall of Famer mulls his future.
Other free agent quarterbacks such as Russell Wilson, Joe Flacco and Jameis Winston have been forced to remain on hold as well while Rodgers operates, as always, on his own timetable. He has not even said whether he will continue playing or retire after 20 NFL seasons.
For potential suitors, the issue is how much Rodgers has left and whether his potential on-field contributions at this point outweigh the angst that some feel about his off-field demeanor and comments. The New York Jets officially released Rodgers last Wednesday, but he already had been permitted to speak to other teams. The team’s new football decision-making tandem of Coach Aaron Glenn and General Manager Darren Mougey quickly made the decision last month that Rodgers wasn’t their choice to attempt to end the franchise’s 14-season playoff drought.
Not everyone is waiting patiently. Asked on the “Not Just Football” podcast whether he would recruit Rodgers to his team, Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward referenced the “darkness retreat” Rodgers took to ponder his football future in 2023 before being traded from the Green Bay Packers to the Jets.
#Steelers DT Cam Heyward on recruiting Aaron Rodgers: "I ain't doing that darkness retreat. I don't need any of that crap. Either you want to be a Steeler or you don't. It's simple. That's the pitch."
(via @NotJustFootball) pic.twitter.com/TRlISFXAtl
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) March 18, 2025
“I ain’t doing that darkness retreat,” Heyward said. “I don’t need any of that crap. Like, either you want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler or you don’t. That’s simple. That’s the pitch. Like, if you want me to recruit, that’s the recruiting pitch, you know. Pittsburgh Steelers, if you want to be part of it, so be it. If you don’t, no skin off my back.”
Very little ever is simple with Rodgers.
There’s no debate that Rodgers’s two seasons with the Jets were calamitous. His arrival inspired championship hopes. But the Jets went a combined 12-22 over the past two seasons. Rodgers missed all but four offensive snaps of his first season with the team after suffering a torn Achilles’ tendon in his left leg in his Jets debut. He returned to play every game last season but could not recapture the magic of his glory days with the Packers. The Jets fired Robert Saleh as their coach and Joe Douglas as their general manger during the season.
If Aaron Rodgers signs with the Vikings then throws a cross-body INT while in game-winning FG range in the NFC Championship Game, I will be convinced we live in The Matrix
— Chris Trapasso 🏈 (@ChrisTrapasso) March 12, 2025
Rodgers didn’t resemble the player who was named the NFL’s MVP four times and won a Super Bowl over 18 seasons in Green Bay. But he ranked in the league’s top 10 in passing yards and touchdown passes last season. He was the NFL’s 19th-rated passer, but his middling to above-average performance was obscured by the Jets’ widespread woes.
He played well enough to put him at least somewhat in demand in his first career foray into free agency.
The Steelers reached the playoffs last season, with Wilson taking over for Justin Fields as their starter six games into the season. But they came unglued down the stretch and lost in the opening round of the AFC playoffs. They’ve lost six straight postseason games, dating from the 2016 season. Perhaps with the strong presence of Coach Mike Tomlin and the addition of DK Metcalf via a trade with the Seattle Seahawks to go with George Pickens at wide receiver, Rodgers could produce a run deeper into the postseason.
The Giants have a top wide receiver of their own, in Malik Nabers, and could be in win-now mode with the jobs of Coach Brian Daboll and General Manager Joe Schoen on the line after two straight miserable seasons. Last season, they benched and then released Daniel Jones, who finished the season with the Vikings and then signed with the Indianapolis Colts last week in free agency. Perhaps a jump to the other inhabitant of MetLife Stadium by Rodgers would reinvigorate the franchise.
Quarterback Russell Wilson leaving Berea after meeting with the Cleveland #Browns. pic.twitter.com/qIDieCoxjm
— Ashly Holder (@AshNoelleTV) March 13, 2025
And then there’s Minnesota, which is believed by some observers to be Rodgers’s preferred destination if he keeps playing. The Vikings went 14-3 last season with Sam Darnold at quarterback before exiting in the opening round of the NFC playoffs. They opted against franchise-tagging Darnold before his free agent departure last week to the Seahawks. They have Justin Jefferson at receiver. They have the NFL’s reigning coach of the year, in Kevin O’Connell. Could Rodgers make them a Super Bowl team by continuing to follow the career path of Brett Favre from the Packers to the Jets to the Vikings?
Rodgers said during the season he would have to contemplate whether he wanted to go through the grind of another NFL season. His conversations with teams this offseason suggest that he may be interested in playing on. His NFL legacy is secure. The Pro Football Hall of Fame awaits him, whether he plays another season or two or not. Few, if any, know for certain what he will do next.
It's Jameis Winston Day at the Meadowlands!
The ex-Bucs/Saints/Browns QB (and @FoxSports Super Bowl media star) becomes the third veteran QB to visit the New York Giants this offseason. He follows Russell Wilson and Joe Flacco.
Meanwhile, the world waits for Aaron Rodgers. pic.twitter.com/iWav90wzw8
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano) March 18, 2025
The Vikings, if they don’t add Rodgers, simply could turn to J.J. McCarthy as their starter after the first-round draft pick missed his entire rookie season because of a knee injury. That may be their preferred approach.
It would be more of a scramble for the other teams. The Steelers have lost Fields to the Jets via free agency. They could attempt to re-sign Wilson, who made free agent visits last week to the Giants and Cleveland Browns. They have signed Mason Rudolph.
The Giants have hosted Wilson and Flacco on visits and were scheduled to host Winston on Tuesday. They have the No. 3 selection in the NFL draft next month and could choose Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders. It’s possible that if they don’t get Rodgers, their quarterback of the future would become their quarterback of the present.
Or maybe a team spurned by Rodgers could attempt to get Kirk Cousins in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons. Much is left to play out, but it all starts with Rodgers’s decision.