Cardinals Coach Slams Door on Aaron Rodgers Buzz

The Arizona Cardinals' head coach was asked about adding Aaron Rodgers. He didn't mince words.

Arizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur listens to general manager Monti Ossenfort speak during a press conference at the Arizona Cardinals facility in Tempe after the first round of the NFL Draft on April 23, 2026. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

ARIZONA — Aaron Rodgers has dominated Arizona Cardinals headlines through the last few days, despite not even playing for the team.

The Cardinals' quarterback position is largely in flux as projected starter Jacoby Brissett is currently skipping voluntary workouts in hopes of a pay raise with backups Gardner Minshew and rookie third-round pick Carson Beck behind him.

With no defined, slam-dunk starter for 2026 in the mix, the Cardinals have often been linked with free agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Rodgers, thought to be eying either retirement or another year with the Pittsburgh Steelers, has suddenly been the hottest topic in Arizona sports chatter.

Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur, appearing on the Jim Rome Show, might have put those rumors to rest.

Are the Cardinals interested in Aaron Rodgers??

I asked new head coach Mike LaFleur. pic.twitter.com/bLccj397gE

— Jim Rome (@jimrome) May 5, 2026

"Honestly right now we're focused on the guys that we got coming in. You got the unit that we have with Gardner and Jacoby and [Kedon] Slovis. Then we drafted Carson Beck in the third round, he'll be here Thursday finally. We're trying to do some Zoom stuff. So we got a room we're excited to work with and that's solely where my focus is," LaFleur said when directly asked about adding Rodgers.

That's not a surprising answer, as the Cardinals' coach remained adamant to stay in a nuetral lane while also practically saying: No.

This was another sentiment hammered home by Cardinals ESPN insider Josh Weinfuss, who was told, "Not at all” when a source was asked if the interest in Rodgers was legitimate.

That's likely because the noise wasn't rooted in any actual reporting, but more so just a CBS Sports article suggesting Rodgers was a good fit for Arizona. The internet took that article, ran with it, and now here we are.

As a result, we haven't been shy about covering the possibility, and while Rodgers would have a fun crew of weapons to play with here in the desert, it truly does feel like he'll return to Pittsburgh sooner as opposed to later.

For the Cardinals, that's just fine. Arizona has a capable veteran in Brissett and a third-round pick in Beck to roll out. While the team isn't intentionally tanking entering the 2026 season, it's also understood the Cardinals aren't quite Super Bowl contenders, either.

Would Rodgers change that? Maybe just a tad, though this roster still needs some cosmetics done before we can confidently say they're a sure postseason bet.

And with that, missing Rodgers probably isn't the difference out in the desert.