The twists and turns of Aaron Rodgers' free agency continue to leave the Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants waiting and wondering about the future Hall of Famer's status. But it appears that fans in Minnesota might be the only group with a chance to see him suit up for their team in 2025.
A report from The Athletic on Saturday claims that Rodgers' strong preference is to play under head coach Kevin O'Connell for the Vikings. So strong, in fact, that he might just go ahead and retire if Minnesota decides to go in a different direction.
It seems like it's Vikings or bust in the Aaron Rodgers sweepstakes
That puts O'Connell and the decision-makers in Minnesota in an awkward position: They can either pay up for one year of Rodgers at the helm of their offense, or proceed with their original plan to transition to 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy.
Delaying McCarthy's ascendancy to the spot would not be a disaster for the Vikings, but it would stop them from taking advantage of the young signal-caller's modest salary for a second consecutive season. There's also the issue that Rodgers does not have a reputation as being a good mentor for younger plays who might be in line to take his job.
Rodgers' indecision is a big issue for both the Steelers and Vikings. Pittsburgh no longer has the safety of bringing Justin Fields back into the fold; Ironically, he'll be taking Rodgers' old gig with the Jets. That leaves the Steelers facing the prospect of being left without a quality starter unless they make a splashy move in the draft, and we saw with Kenny Pickett how perilous that can be.
The Giants could be the biggest loser in the Rodgers race. New York has the No. 3 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, but all signs point to the Tennessee Titans taking consensus No. 1 quarterback Cam Ward with the No. 1 overall pick. If Cam Ward does go to Tennessee with the first pick, the Giants might try to trade down for Shedeur Sanders or select a lesser prospect in the middle rounds, but neither would be the quick fix that Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen need to save their jobs.
In truth, the attention paid to Rodgers by the media at this stage of his career is overblown. At best, he'll play like an average starter next year. That's important to the three teams in question, but he won't be good enough to make any of the trio a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Rodgers' free agency saga is now more interesting than his on-field play.