While NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero reported that the Minnesota Vikings are moving forward with 2024 first-round pick QB J.J. McCarthy and aren’t going to pursue Aaron Rodgers, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio believes that Minnesota could still wind up being his destination. Appearing on The PM Team on 93.7 The Fan, Florio said the Vikings could opt to sign Rodgers after seeing how McCarthy looks in their offseason program.
“I still don’t rule out Minnesota at some point…the final analysis seems to be that the Vikings have gotten out the word that they’re going to see what [J.J.] McCarthy can do in the offseason program, and they’re not ruling out Rodgers at some point,” Florio said.
While Florio said we know Rodgers isn’t going to sign with the Vikings anytime soon, he said he doesn’t think Rodgers will sign anywhere soon.
“The only thing we know is that he won’t be joining the Vikings in the short-term, and I don’t think there’s going to be a short-term answer…he’s in no rush, he’s in no hurry, he’s taking his time.”
If Rodgers is set on going to the Vikings, he can continue to play the waiting game, hoping that Minnesota looks for a veteran option if McCarthy struggles during OTAs and minicamp. He’s coming off knee surgery, and if the Vikings feel he will need another year of development, they could opt for Aaron Rodgers in the interim while McCarthy sits.
Right now, the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants appear to be Rodgers’ two options, but as Florio said, he hasn’t been in any rush to make a decision and could be content waiting out his reportedly preferred option. At this point, the Steelers seem committed to the Rodgers pursuit and will likely wait him out, even if that means losing out on other options, such as Russell Wilson.
The Steelers can go into the season with Mason Rudolph as their starter if necessary, but Rodgers is their preferred choice. It would be a blow if Pittsburgh waited months for Rodgers to make up his mind, only for him to sign with Minnesota.
Retirement seems to remain an option for Aaron Rodgers as well, and the Steelers could be left empty-handed even if Rodgers doesn’t sign with the Giants. That’s the game they likely knew they were getting into when they entered negotiations with Rodgers, but it really shows the lack of plan the Steelers had at quarterback after Justin Fields decided to test his free-agent market.
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