Inside The Vikings

'What does that tell you?' A.J. Hawk on Vikings leaving door open for Aaron Rodgers

  • "There's gotta be some kind of chance of that," Hawk said.
  • Does Hawk's friendship with Rodgers give his view on the matter more weight?
Joe Nelson|
Feb 5, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; A.J. Hawk on the Pat McAfee Show set at the Super Bowl LIX media center at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Feb 5, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; A.J. Hawk on the Pat McAfee Show set at the Super Bowl LIX media center at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Minnesota Vikings

Fact: The Vikings had the opportunity to slam the door shut on Aaron Rodgers but general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah didn't do it. If you ask Rodgers' close friend A.J. Hawk what that means, he seems to think it carries some weight.

"Yeah, they didn't close the door completely. That's the thing. You had the opportunity to close the door completely, publicly at least, if you were the Vikings and you did not. What does that tell you?" Hawk said Friday on The Pat McAfee Show.

"I don't know if that means there's a possibility that the Vikings would want to bring him in or not, but it means there's gotta be some kind of chance of that, correct?"

It appears to be a three-option situation for Rodgers.

  1. Sign with the Steelers
  2. Retire
  3. Wait in free agency and hope the Vikings call

"That's the question that I don't think he knows. I don't know what he's waiting on. I really don't," Hawk said, noting that he doesn't think Rodgers will wait until the April 24 NFL draft to make his decision.

The point of this story is to note that Rodgers' buddy and longtime former Packers teammate has an opinion on the matter, and when Hawk acknowledges the significance of the Vikings not shutting the door on Rodgers, it's a bit more weighty than when someone who doesn't know Rodgers on a personal level provides a reaction to the situation.

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Joe Nelson
JOE NELSON

Joe Nelson has more than 20 years of experience in Minnesota sports journalism. Nelson began his career in sports radio, working at smaller stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before moving to the highly-rated KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. While there, he produced the popular mid-morning show hosted by Minnesota Vikings play-by-play announcer Paul Allen. His time in radio laid the groundwork for his transition to sports writing in 2011. He covers the Vikings, Timberwolves, Gophers and Twins for On SI.

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