Aaron Rodgers Addresses Offseason Interest in Minnesota Before Steelers-Vikings Clash

The Vikings and the Steelers will play each other in Dublin on Sunday.
Rodgers was linked to three teams in free agency: the Steelers, the Giants and the Vikings.
Rodgers was linked to three teams in free agency: the Steelers, the Giants and the Vikings. / Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
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As the Steelers waited out Aaron Rodgers's prolonged free agency period this spring, there were also reports that Rodgers was interested in the Vikings, who could've used him to capitalize on the momentum from their strong 2024 season and also serve as a mentor to a young J.J. McCarthy.

Ultimately, nothing came of that pursuit, as the Vikings opted to put it all on McCarthy while Rodgers, of course, landed with Pittsburgh. But the veteran QB was nonetheless asked about those discussions again on Wednesday, ahead of the Steelers' game vs. the Vikings in Ireland this weekend.

Unsurprisingly, Rodgers did not open up much.

"I've addressed that already, but I'll just reiterate that Kevin and I have been friends since 2008. ... We keep in touch. He's one of the guys I keep in touch with," Rodgers said. "Things never progressed farther than catch-up conversations. And I'll just leave it at that."

Reports at the time suggested the QB was waiting to hear what the Vikings wanted to do before getting back to both the Steelers and the Giants (who were said to be interested before signing veteran Russell Wilson). But it seems like he is saying that talks of him playing with the Vikes never even got that far.

We are unlikely to get the full story here and it probably does not matter at this point. But it will be fun to watch things go down on the sidelines this week in Dublin, offseason rumors in mind.


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Brigid Kennedy
BRIGID KENNEDY

Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing managment (from the Whitman School of Management). Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.