Why the Vikings Have Considered Rodgers' Interest and Why They Will Ultimately Pass on Uniting With Him
Here's what 15 years of experience being inside a NFL building leads me to believe is happening between the Vikings and Aaron Rodgers
Not unlike most offseasons, the Vikings have been in the headlines.
For most of last week, it was because of their aggressive approach to free agency.
Over the past five days or so (yes it feels like five years, though!), it’s been because of their inaction as it relates to signing a particular free agent.
Aaron Rodgers.
So as another week of offseason activity begins today, let’s reset the Vikings-Rodgers situation as I lean into 15 years of experience being inside a NFL building to put some context clues together and paint a picture of what’s possibly happening.
The Genesis of an Offseason Quarterback Controversy
The Vikings decided not to retain Sam Darnold, who is now a Seattle Seahawk, and they also saw Daniel Jones sign with the Indianapolis Colts.
Other viable options in the quarterback market quickly signed elsewhere, too, leaving the Vikings without an alternate or backup to J.J. McCarthy.
All throughout, Rodgers, a free agent, remained unsigned despite several teams seemingly in the bidding.
That has led to rampant speculation that the Vikings were secretly considering signing Rodgers. The parallel history between Brett Favre’s path from Green Bay to Minnesota via the New York Jets was woven into the narrative.
The Vikings-Rodgers union is a polarizing topic within the Vikings fanbase. Just log onto social media and you’ll quickly see. But it seems the issue could be nonunanimous within the Vikings’ organization, too.
Those plugged into Rodgers’ camp are suggesting there’s mutual interest, while those plugged into the Vikings’ camp are dispelling that notion.
What is the Likely Outcome - McCarthy or Rodgers?
At this point, despite the prolonging of the situation which only seems to increase the likelihood of it resulting in a union, I am still firmly entrenched in the camp which believes the Vikings will not sign Rodgers.
Here are three key threads that define what I believe to be the reality of the situation:
The Vikings, since the 2024 draft, have intended for McCarthy to be their starting quarterback as soon as he was ready. Whether that was Week 1 of last season, some midpoint of the season, or Week 1 of 2025 was a variable. But their intention for nearly a year now was for a drafted rookie in 2024 to be the quarterback of the future. That remain unchanged during Darnold’s impressive ‘24 season as well as in the days leading up to the start of free agency. Had the Vikings been interested in a veteran option as an alternative to McCarthy, they would’ve re-signed Darnold since they already knew what they had (and that what they had was a quarterback with 35 TDs and a 14-3 record).
Rodgers has identified the Vikings as his preferred landing spot. He sees a team with a well-respected, offensive-minded head coach, an improved defense, an indoor climate and a host of talented weapons at offensive skill positions. He also sees an opportunity to play in a familiar division and to compete against former rivals (Bears, Lions) as well as a former team (Packers).
Despite being firmly committed to the McCarthy approach, some members of the Vikings’ organization (wisely) took pause when Rodgers made his interest in them known. As an open-minded person with the best short-term interests of the organization at heart, it’s natural to consider the interest of a quarterback the caliber of Rodgers. He’s historically unique and accomplished, and he’s coming off a season in which he threw 28 touchdown passes and stayed healthy. There were others in the decision-making hierarchy, however, who remained steadfast in their support of the McCarthy-or-nothing direction, which has led to a healthy internal dialogue about the best course of action, with the needle still on the side of McCarthy but with deliberation ongoing.
I am no longer in the building. I do not engage in actual reporting and the harvesting of news or scoops through sources. The aformentioned facts, assumptions, thoughts and context clue gathering is based on experience, the information gathering and sharing of others, and my gut feeling.
It doesn’t make me wrong. It doesn’t make me right.
But I am interested, just as you might be.
While we don’t know for certain who the Vikings’ quarterback will be to start the 2025 season, we can be certain that whoever it is will be in one of the best offensive infrastructures in the NFL.
Either way, Vikings’ fans should be in a good mood.