Aaron Rodgers seems to be holding out hope that the Minnesota Vikings will want to sign him, but it sounds like the star quarterback could be out of luck.
Rodgers has had contract offers from both the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants since the start of free agency on Monday. A report on Saturday claimed Rodgers wants to sign with the Vikings, which is why he is taking so long to reach a decision.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Vikings are leaning toward passing on Rodgers. Fowler said during “SportsCenter” on Sunday that the feeling around the NFL is that Minnesota is ready to turn things over to JJ McCarthy.
“Teams are waiting this out, waiting on Rodgers. The feeling is there’s not just a money consideration here. There’s fit, there’s surroundings, all those things,” Fowler said, as transcribed by Scott Polacek of Bleacher Report. “Minnesota Vikings are sort of on the periphery here. Sources there tell me that it’s possible they get involved with Rodgers, but the feeling this week has been probably not. They want to develop J.J. McCarthy.”
Rodgers probably feels the Vikings would give him the best chance to contend for a Super Bowl in 2025. They finished 14-3 last season with Sam Darnold as their starting quarterback, which speaks to the quality of their roster. Kevin O’Connell has also had tremendous success with quarterbacks since he took over as the head coach in Minnesota.
The Vikings traded up a spot to select McCarthy with the No. 10 overall pick in last year’s draft. The former Michigan star suffered a torn meniscus in the preseason, but he is expected to be healthy for the start of next season.
Rodgers is nowhere near the same player who won four NFL MVP awards. The Vikings may feel that they can get just as much out of McCarthy as they would from Rodgers at this point in the 41-year-old’s career.
