Aaron Rodgers continues to weigh his options with NFL free agency officially underway, and the star quarterback may even be thinking beyond the 2025 season.
It has been reported that there are at least two teams that are willing to offer Rodgers an opportunity to start next season — the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers. The Minnesota Vikings have also been mentioned as a possibility, but ESPN’s Dan Graziano has an interesting theory about why that may not be a fit for Rodgers.
During an appearance on “Get Up” Tuesday morning, Graziano said there is a “perception” around the NFL that Rodgers wants to play two more seasons. With the Vikings expected to turn things over to JJ McCarthy sooner rather than later, Rodgers may not be open to signing with Minnesota.
“Whenever JJ McCarthy is ready to play, they want to play him. But they also don’t want to rush that timetable. They want it to be on his timetable,” Graziano said. “So, bringing in Aaron Rodgers, who, again, I don’t pretend to know what is going on inside Aaron Rodgers’ mind, but there is a perception out there that he wants to play two more years. If that’s the case, is that gonna stand in the way of JJ McCarthy if you’re in Minnesota?”
Graziano speculated that Rodgers could have some concerns about the situation with the Giants, too. New York currently has the No. 3 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft and is in a position to draft a quarterback. Rodgers may look at that and wonder if he could wind up like Kirk Cousins, who signed a big deal with the Atlanta Falcons and then lost his job midway through the season to rookie first-round pick Michael Penix Jr.
If Rodgers is hoping to play in 2025 and 2026, the Steelers might make the most sense for him. They just acquired a top offensive weapon and are coming off a 10-7 season where they reached the playoffs. Unlike the Giants, the Steelers are not in rebuild mode.
The question, of course, is whether the Steelers view Rodgers as a significant upgrade over Russell Wilson. Their reported interest in the 41-year-old former MVP is a good indicator that they do, but time will tell.
