Wolverine Digest

Steelers legend floats theory about Aaron Rodgers, Vikings QB situation

The Vikings appear set with their redshirt rookie QB in JJ McCarthy, but a Steelers legend seems to believe that Aaron Rodgers still has his eye on Minnesota.
Chris Breiler|
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Just when it seemed like the rumors surrounding Aaron Rodgers and the Minnesota Vikings were starting to die down, it picked up some steam once again on Thursday. Discussing the situation on the Pat McAfee show, McAfee shared a clip of Pittsburgh Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger sharing his thoughts. Roethlisberger says he believes that Rodgers is still holding out in hopes that the Minnesota job will open up.

"But I think Aaron, secretly... and again, just my opinion, I think Aaron is secretly still holding out for the Minnesota, which is why he hasn't signed with the Steelers," Roethlisberger said. "Why else would you go throw with DK [Metcalf] and be working out, blast it out to everybody that I'm throwing to these guys, but you won't sign? So I just think that he's holding out for Minnesota."

The only problem with that theory is that the Vikings seemed to make it clear that they're all in on J.J. McCarthy, their first round pick from the 2024 NFL Draft. McCarthy showed significant promise in his preseason debut against the Las Vegas Raiders, but it was later revealed that he suffered a knee injury that would sideline him for the entire 2024 season. Although there's obviously some unknowns when it comes to McCarthy and his ability to lead a franchise capable of contending for a Super Bowl, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell seems to have faith in his current QB.

In fact, O'Connell recently discussed the Vikings entertaining the idea of Rodgers, saying they ultimately like where things are at with McCarthy.

"Aaron and I have had a relationship for a long time, and when he initially reached out, and we were able to have some conversations, as you know, [we're] on the hunt to always improve our football team and put our football team in the best possible chance to win," O'Connell said. "You're constantly acknowledging all of — and evaluating — all of the opportunities that may be out there, and certainly that was one that I found to be interesting, just because it speaks to what our [organization] has kind of turned into for quarterbacks, which I know Kwesi and I are very proud of, our coaching staff is very proud of.

"But at the same time, we've had a quarterback plan in place with J.J. McCarthy, and we really like where he's at in that journey right now, and looking forward to getting the offseason program going with him, in addition to all the work he's done leading up to that time coming up here in a few weeks. And that's kind of where we left things."

If Rodgers is holding out in hopes that Minnesota could come calling, the Vikings aren't necessarily giving the impression that could happen - at least not publicly.

The good news is that is sounds like O'Connell and McCarthy have had some good dialog about the whole situation throughout this process, and it seems like everything is in a good place as far as that's concerned. But until Rodgers actually signs elsewhere, that speculation surrounding Minnesota will continue to linger.

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Chris Breiler
CHRIS BREILER

Christopher Breiler launched Winged Helmet Media and began covering the Michigan Football program in an unofficial capacity in 2017. He then joined Wolverine Digest as part of the FanNation network in 2021 as a contributing writer, where he served as both a writer and a photographer on game days. In 2024, he took over as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI. His love for Michigan Football brought him into the industry, and his passion for being a content creator has led to some amazing experiences along the way.

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