Giants May Still Be in Mix for Aaron Rodgers, as Vikings Reportedly Bow Out

The Minnesota Vikings, thought to be the team the 41-year-old veteran quarterback was waiting to hear from, have reportedly decided not to pursue Rodgers.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers will now decide between the Giants, Steelers or retirement after it was reported that the Vikings are moving ahead with J.J. McCarthy and will pursue another option at veteran quarterback. | Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The competition for future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers might have just lessened. 

Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reported that the Minnesota Vikings, the team Rodgers was believed to have been waiting to hear from before deciding between where--or if--he will play in 2025, intend to move forward with J.J. McCarthy, whom they drafted in the first round last year. 

The report adds that while the Vikings, who received and rejected “multiple trade alls” for McCarthy, plan to add a veteran quarterback, they’re not planning to pursue Rodgers now.   

That would leave the Steelers, Giants, or retirement as options for Rodgers. However, another option could be for him to continue to delay a decision and revisit with the Vikings in another month or so, given that McCarthy is coming off knee surgery, which ended his rookie campaign before it had a chance to begin.

The Giants are reportedly comfortable giving Rodgers as much time as he needs to work through his various options. In the interim, the Giants have already met with Russell Wilson, Joe Flacco, and Jameis Winston about becoming their veteran bridge quarterback. Wilson is believed to be the fall-back plan should Rodgers decide to retire or sign elsewhere. 

The Giants, who need a long-term solution at quarterback after they parted with Daniel Jones following nearly six years of opportunities, have done extensive work on this year’s quarterbacks crop, a group headlined by Cam Ward of Miami and Shedeur Sanders of Colorado.

There is a growing consensus that Ward might be the first quarterback off the board and that the Titans, who hold the first overall pick in the draft, might just be the ones who call Ward’s name at next month’s draft. 

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