NFL Network insiders believe Aaron Rodgers will be a dark horse candidate for the Minnesota Vikings after not reaching an agreement with Sam Darnold.
Aaron Rodgers to Be In Play for Minnesota Vikings
After not coming to an agreement to keep quarterback Darnold, the Vikings are looking to pivot to their next option at quarterback. The Vikings signed Darnold to a one-year deal last offseason, and the former 2018 top-five pick literally cashed in. He turned his opportunity with the Vikings into a Pro Bowl season and a playoff appearance, helping the franchise win 14 games. Now that he is back on the open market he is expected to sign a lucrative deal with teams like the Seattle Seahawks expected to be interested.
Last night appears to have been the start of some QB chaos. If Daniel Jones doesn’t remain with the #Vikings, that will make it even more chaotic, as Aaron Rodgers could be in play in Minnesota, which would then force the #Giants to turn to Plan C…
Lots to play out next week. https://t.co/TcyMTvVd9I
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 8, 2025
Minnesota’s quarterback situation is up in the air. The Vikings drafted J.J. McCarthy in the first round of the 2024 draft; however, the rookie tore his MCL before his season even started and was out for the season, which led to the accession of Darnold. They also signed former New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones after he was released in the middle of the season to be a backup to Darnold. With Darnold leaving, the Vikings could bank on their first-round pick, or they could re-sign Jones and hope for somewhat of the same outcome they got from Darnold. Or they could look at outside options, and one of them is reported to be Rodgers.
If the Vikings feel like they are on the brink of being contenders and making a strong playoff run, they could look to a veteran like Rodgers to possibly put them over the top while giving McCarthy another season to learn the ropes of the NFL. What also complicates the McCarthy situation is whether the Vikings believe he is on schedule to be healthy to start in 2025 or if they believe most of his offseason will be consumed with rehab work rather than getting reps at the starter spot.
Rodgers makes sense for the Vikings if they feel they can make a big push in 2025 for a Super Bowl, and even though Jones has been in the system for about a season now, the Vikings could choose to go with Rodgers because of his pedigree.
After starting the 2024 season a little shaky, Rodgers rounded into form down the stretch for the New York Jets and clearly showed the 41-year-old quarterback still had something left in the tank. Rodgers finished his season with the Jets with 3,897 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. Rodgers has interest from other teams most notably the New York Giants. The Giants missed out on their main target, Matthew Stafford, and could instead lure Rodgers from the Jets to the Giants. However, the Vikings provide one of the better situations for a quarterback in the league, as evidenced by what Darnold was able to do playing for the team.
Rodgers’s opportunities to start will be limited in 2025, so the future Hall of Famer will have to figure out what’s important to him if he wants to keep playing. Will the stability of the Vikings be enough for him to take less money to play for the organization? Would Rodgers be ok knowing this won’t be a long partnership, and at some point, they will turn to McCarthy to be the future? There are a lot of questions that need to be answered on both the Vikings and on Rodgers’s end, but one thing for sure is the Vikings will undoubtedly be an enticing destination for any veteran quarterback, whether that be Rodgers, Jones, or anyone else.
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