New Aaron Rodgers buzz: Waiting for the Vikings or stealing the spotlight from Green Bay?

Ben Roethlisberger made headlines this week when he hypothesized that Aaron Rodgers has yet to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers because he's holding out hope for the Minnesota Vikings.

Big Ben said: "I think Aaron is secretly still holding out for Minnesota, which is why he hasn't signed with the Steelers. Why else would you go throw with [Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf] and be working out and blast it to everybody that 'I'm throwing to these guys' but you wouldn't sign?"

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport has some thoughts about Roethlisberg's theory.

"He said a bunch of things here that are not entirely wrong. I don't believe Aaron Rodgers is waiting for the Minnesota Vikings right now. He's had enough conversations with the Vikings, with his good buddy Kevin O'Connell, to know that the Vikings are looking at J.J. McCarthy as their starting quarterback," Rapoport said.

"If somehow, someway, something terrible would happen where that's not the case, it's not going to come now. Any sort of realization would probably come more in training camp as opposed to now. I don't expect Rodgers to wait that long."

In short, Rapoport thinks Rodgers is simply taking his time before joining the Steelers. Although, it was hard to ignore the dot connecting Rapoport did with Rodgers, Green Bay and a potential announcement on the first day of the NFL draft.

"A draft day decision would be fine. We did it when the draft was in Kansas City and he got traded to the Jets," Rapoport explained. "That was a lot of fun. Let's do it again when we're in Green Bay, which you may have heard, that's where Rodgers actually played before the Jets and then potentially the Steelers."

An April 24 dart from Rodgers while the NFL world's attention is focused on Green Bay for the draft? That's some interesting speculation, to say the least.

From The Insiders on @NFLNetwork: Big Ben isn't wrong. Aaron Rodgers was interested in the #Vikings. But even Rodgers knows now that wait would be futile. pic.twitter.com/G2VulEj23B
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 3, 2025

Meanwhile, Dianna Russini didn't mention the Vikings at all on the Scoop City podcast earlier this week. Instead, she suggested that Rodgers may very well be considering hanging it up.

"My sense is the Steelers feel good about it, but there was a time when the Giants felt good about it," Russini said. "I definitely get the sense that the people in the Steelers building, just, it's a matter of time, whereas other people around the league aren't so sure. And I think they're not so sure because it's Aaron Rodgers. I think any other quarterback... they'd probably agree with Pittsburgh. I do think there's a belief where there could be a day where Aaron wakes up on the beach is like, 'I don't want to do this anymore.'"

At this point, it's pretty obvious that Minnesota is going with McCarthy next season. What makes more sense to you: Rodgers stealing the spotlight from Green Bay during the draft or retiring?

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