New Report Claims League Personnel Have Mixed Feelings About Aaron Rodgers

For as long as the weary fanbases of three different NFL teams, including the New York Giants, have been waiting for an answer from quarterback Aaron Rodgers as to which place he will call his third home next season, their insane level of patience could pay off in the end.

At least, that is the thought of several current executives and scouting personnel across the league with whom NFL insider Albert Breer of SI.com spoke.

“The Aaron Rodgers-is-washed-up narrative has gone way too far,” Breer said in his weekly takeaways from the first wave of free agency.

“Is it frustrating for the teams involved to have to wait on the four-time MVP? Sure. But the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers wouldn’t be waiting for him if it wasn’t worth it—nor would the Minnesota Vikings even consider him.”

Rodgers, 41, has been pondering his next move fate after being released by the New York Jets before the opening bell of free agency.

While the Giants have been one of the potential suitors from the jump, given their immense need for a veteran signal-caller, recent reports have indicated that Rodgers has been waiting on a call from the Vikings on their desire to sign him to lead their offense that recently let Sam Darnold walk to Seattle and is unsure if rookie J.J. McCarthy will be healthy to go at the start of the season.

However, new reporting on Wednesday morning has signaled that the Vikings are taking their names out of the ring for now on the veteran option and are keying in on their 2024 first-round pick in McCarthy as being ready to assume the QB1 role in September.

So now, Rodgers’ options have dwindled down to taking his talents to Pittsburgh or New York, lest he be willing to hang up his cleats and head into retirement after 19 well-accomplished seasons. The Giants have been diligent in giving Rodgers his space, letting things play out.

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll and former New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers — Aug 24, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll (left) and New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (right) shake hands following the game at MetLife Stadium. | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

But is Rodgers really worth it? There is a growing opinion that Rodgers is well past the prime years of his career and has recently had to deal with an extensive rehab from an Achilles injury he suffered just four snaps into his 2023 debut season with the Jets.

He has surely lost a touch of the mobility beyond the pocket that has been one of the defining traits of his illustrious career, but that is also natural for an aging player and doesn’t mean that the mercurial quarterback has lost all it takes to compete with the best in this league.

Some of the league execs Breer spoke to and witnessed Rodgers perform in the Jets' offense last season are holding firm that he still carries a flashy arm and smarts in the pocket to make the incredible throws that struggling offenses like the Giants’ have seriously lacked. Short of that piece, they wouldn’t hesitate to sign him to see what he has left in the tank.

“He’s on the downside,” said one AFC exec mentioned in the piece. “He still has the flashes of arm talent and accuracy, though.”

“There’s a depreciation of the mobility that made him great when he was that two-way, run/pass option player on every play. It’s relegated him to being more of a pocket-passing veteran. Do I think he can start for a year? I do. … He still sees the field well, has football intelligence, the quick release. His arm’s not quite what it was, but with the right surrounding cast? Yes.”

Another defensive coach added to this vote of confidence, calling Rodgers a “beast” whose decision-making hasn’t taken the proverbial step off the cliff that happens to most veteran quarterbacks in his age bracket.

“Mentally and arm-talent-wise, he hasn’t dropped off at all. Now, his mobility and athleticism, of course, aren’t the same as it was 10 years ago. [But] if I’m a team and I need a quarterback right now, I don’t hesitate signing him. I would not flinch.”

It is fair to see why the entire waiting game for Rodgers, who didn’t make up his mind on where he wanted the Green Bay Packers to trade him before the 2023 season until a week before the NFL Draft when he ultimately landed on the Jets, is starting to rub fans of the Steelers and Giants the wrong way.

The common belief about Rodgers is that he loves all the media attention and the public impression that he is still important to the league and a part of the conversation. Meanwhile, the Giants still hold several question marks throughout their roster as the draft draws closer, including whether they will get their hands on a rookie prospect without a bold move up the board.

It’s felt more and more evident that Rodgers has made the Giants into the third fiddle in regards to his list of ideal destinations, at the same time that Russell Wilson seems like he’s waiting in the distance for one of the two teams to hand him a pen and paper to ink a new deal.

This has led to increased calls for the franchise to move on from the Rodgers sweepstakes and settle with a slightly younger option that will allow the offseason process to continue.

It doesn’t appear like the Giants are ready to walk out the door of the negotiating room just yet for a player who, despite a 5-12 record last season, still finished in the top 10 in his position in passing yards (3,897), touchdown passes (28), and overall passer rating (90.7) in a dysfunctional situation over at Florham Park.

That enough is attractive to keep their candidacy open as they find themselves one of the two remaining bachelors for Rodgers.

Still, the longer he waits to potentially pick his rose from the Giants, the murkier their future at the most important position on their roster becomes for Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll, who need a good answer to spare their jobs.

New Report Claims League Personnel Have Mixed Feelings About Aaron Rodgers

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