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Steelers Writer Floats Aaron Rodgers to Vikings
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- Steelers Writer Floats Aaron Rodgers to Vikings
Charles LeClaire
You're not gonna be able to escape it. Aaron Rodgers could make this easy on everybody and announce his retirement decision as early as now, but he's virtually guaranteed to drag it out for months. And with that timing unclear, one Pittsburgh Steelers insider has assigned a 35% likelihood of Rogers joining the Minnesota Vikings this offseason.
Rodgers won't stop being discussed, but Minnesota's moves around McCarthy will tell the only story that actually matters.
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Rodgers posted average quarterback play in 2025, and some just find the idea of ending his career in Minnesota too irresistible.
The Aaron Rodgers Theories Are Back
A writer from The Athletic is the latest to predict Rodgers to Minny.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers stands along the sideline during an Aug. 16, 2025 matchup at Acrisure Stadium, observing third-quarter action against Tampa Bay. The veteran passer watches from the bench as the offense rotates personnel, offering a quiet moment amid preseason intensity inside the packed Pittsburgh venue. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.
Mike DeFabo's Percentages on Aaron Rodgers
DeFabo's musings are somewhat notable because he has no affiliation with the Vikings.
He wrote this week , "Trying to predict what Rodgers will do is a fool's errand — but we'll do it anyway!"
"It sure seems like he's growing tired of the spotlight. My best guess — and it's nothing more than a guess: A 40 percent chance he retires, 35 percent chance he plays for the Vikings, and a 25 percent shot he's back with the Steelers."
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Rodgers said all summer that 2025 was probably his final season, but when the rubber hit the road after his team's playoff loss, he refused to commit to retirement.
DeFabo continued, "Coach Kevin O'Connell has a personal relationship with Rodgers that dates about two decades. Last offseason, they had several conversations about a potential marriage and, according to The Athletic's Alec Lewis, several people in the building wanted it to happen. Ultimately, O'Connell decided to spend the season developing second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy ."
"That process didn't go as planned; the Michigan product posted a passer rating of 72.6 with more interceptions (12) than touchdown passes (11). When Rodgers said he will probably have "one or two" options, the Steelers and Vikings were the first two that came to mind."
DeFabo's prediction is merely the latest Rodgers installment of the Vikings' young offseason. He's already a seasoned veteran of the purple team's rumor mill — just the way he likes it.
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The Vikings' Current QB Situation
The Vikings said a couple of weeks ago that building a deeper quarterback room was a top offseason priority. That stance didn't come from nowhere. In March 2025, Minnesota watched every credible backup quarterback come off the free-agent board while it effectively stood still, entering the spring with McCarthy and Brett Rypien as the only names under contract.
The contingency plan eventually surfaced during the 2025 NFL Draft with the trade for Sam Howell — a low-cost swing that looked sensible on paper and briefly calmed fears that Minnesota had ignored the QB2 problem altogether.
By training camp and the preseason, that illusion died. Howell wasn't any good, was shipped to Philadelphia , and was replaced by a late-summer signing, Carson Wentz , who lasted until a torn labrum ended his season in October.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy drops back in the pocket during a Dec. 21, 2025 contest at MetLife Stadium, surveying the field against the New York Giants. The play unfolds in the first half as Minnesota's offense looks to establish rhythm in a late-season road environment. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images.
McCarthy battled injuries again, forcing Minnesota to lean on undrafted rookie Max Brosmer , who predictably looked lost most of the time. When the starter is fragile like McCarthy, the backup spot becomes mandatory.
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Meanwhile, the decision to avoid expensive commitments to Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones still makes the Vikings a little silly, and Minnesota's brass apparently learned its lesson. This time, the Vikings will prioritize a passer alongside McCarthy. In theory, that could be Rodgers.
The Rodgers-MIN Connection Last Year
Last offseason, the Rodgers-to-Vikings rumor cycle was impossible to escape. By March and April, it consumed nearly everything around the team's rumor mill, to the point where some fans treated it as a defining gospel. Reports framed mutual interest as real and escalating, even as Minnesota moved in a different direction with McCarthy.
The Vikings publicly pivoted to McCarthy in the end, traded for the aforementioned Howell during the draft, and added Brosmer, quietly closing the door on the Rodgers idea.
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Rodgers eventually signed with Pittsburgh.
In the months that followed, both Rodgers and Vikings leadership were repeatedly pressed on whether anything substantial had existed about the rumor. Each side minimized the chatter, with Rodgers and Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell basically saying they were friends, and of course, they talked about the idea, but never seriously.
A Low Upside for the Team with Rodgers
The main problem with Rodgers to the Vikings is the limited ceiling. He already showed his maximum skill set in 2025, and that ended with him checking as the NFL's 20th-best quarterback per EPA+CPOE . He was basically Carson Wentz by the analytics.
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers regains his footing following a fourth-quarter sack on Sept. 7, 2025, during a road game in East Rutherford. The sequence captures Rodgers resetting himself after contact as Pittsburgh navigates a tense late-game situation under pressure from the opposing defense. Mandatory Credit: Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.
If Minnesota signs Rodgers, it can probably reach the postseason, perhaps win a playoff game, and lose in the Divisional Round. A more realistic scenario is losing right away in the playoffs, which the franchise is trying to avoid after sad showings in 2022 and 2024.
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The Vikings might be best served rolling with McCarthy or trading for someone like Kyler Murray rather than signing up for the Rodgers circus, a passer who will be 43 later this year. He won't suddenly improve at age 43.
