Aaron Rodgers may not be any good any more, but he is going to try to get paid one last time like he thinks he is. Here is what is going on with the former New York Jets starting quarterback: After being released, he has taken his time to drive up interest and leverage with the three other teams that are interested, the Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers.
While his interest in the Giants seems to be lukewarm at best, it feels like his camp is using the Vikings as leverage for him to get more money out of the Steelers. Minnesota let Sam Darnold walk in favor of seeing what J.J. McCarthy can do in his first year as the starter. Although I am quite dubious of McCarthy being any good at the NFL level, the Vikings owe it to themselves to see if he can play.
As for the Steelers, they let Justin Fields walk to the Jets to effectively replace Rodgers at Florham Park. While they did bring back former long-time backup Mason Rudolph after his yearlong sabbatical with the hapless Tennessee Titans, Rudolph is a backup for a reason. Given the fact that the Steelers would rather not bring Russell Wilson back for one more year, this feels like Rodgers' landing spot.
Of course, Rodgers could retire to a life of shuffleboard and blue plate specials. Bingo is a skill game!
Aaron Rodgers is using the Vikings as leverage to go play for the Steelers
Because Rodgers' reported offer from the Steelers was less than what the Giants were willing to pay him, he has to find another way to drive up the price to get him to come to Pittsburgh. At this stage of his career, it does not serve Rodgers to come aboard a tire fire like the Giants, who have had, like, one and a half good years since Eli Manning won his second Super Bowl. He needs to go to the Steelers.
Which brings us to Minnesota, as the Vikings have been thrust into this rumor mill by anonymous sources who are almost certainly coming from Rodgers' camp. No doubt the future Hall of Famer would love to play in Kevin O'Connell's offense, but again, there's zero evidence that Minnesota is reciprocating that interest with McCarthy waiting in the wings.
Yes, it may be a complete and total grease fire of epic proportions by bringing the free-thinking Rodgers into the Stockholm Syndrome situation that is the Mike Tomlin Steelers, but it just might work! It might work in the sense that it could be a loveless marriage between Lindsay Bluth and Dr. Tobias Fünke, but we have seen stranger things happen before in other Arrested Developments ...
Ultimately, there are only two truths in the world. The Steelers will always win nine or more games in a season under Mike Tomlin, and that there is always money in the banana stand! Maybe the Steelers can give Rodgers a black and yellow banana stand lined in cold, hard cash to tickle his fancy? This may be just a fallacy, but the man inside me tells me that dozens of us believe that this could work!
I cannot wait for Rodgers' Steelers to suck all the air out of the room like they are the Dallas Cowboys!