Any hopes Aaron Rodgers had of mimicking Brett Favre’s NFL career path appear to be dead in the water.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports the Minnesota Vikings are ‘not pursuing’ Rodgers as the veteran quarterback lingers on the free agent market.
Instead, Minnesota is ‘moving forward’ with J.J. McCarthy as its starting quarterback after ‘rejecting multiple trade calls’ surrounding the 2024 first-round pick.
The Vikings were believed to be Rodgers’ preferred landing spot during the 2025 NFL offseason. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the 41-year-old ‘would like to sign with the Vikings’ in a Tuesday episode of his self-titled podcast.
Meanwhile, The Athletic’s Michael Silver, Dianna Russini and Alec Lewis reported over the weekend that Rodgers had put the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants ‘on hold while he waits for clarity regarding the Vikings’ situation.’
Rodgers now has that clarity. Still, it isn’t expected to alter his timeline for picking a new team. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the veteran ‘is in no rush at all’ as he contemplates his options for 2025, including retirement.
As for the Vikings, they aren’t entirely out of the quarterback market. Pelissero reports Minnesota still ‘plans to add a veteran’ to its quarterback room after losing Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones to the Seattle Seahawks and Indianapolis Colts in free agency.
McCarthy missed his entire rookie season while recovering from a torn meniscus he suffered in his lone preseason game. He had two surgeries to repair the injury.
This story has been updated with new information.