The Minnesota Vikings seem to ultimately be the team that is holding up Aaron Rodgers’ decision and creating the QB carousel of nightmares for the Pittsburgh Steelers. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler has the latest development on the matter via SportsCenter.
“I checked with somebody with the Minnesota Vikings. I know they are sort of loosely in this thing,” Fowler said. “I talked to a source who said that it’s possible, but probably unlikely at the end of the day because the Vikings are dedicated to J.J. McCarthy’s development, first and foremost.”
While there have been several credible reports that the Steelers and New York Giants have offers on the table for Rodgers, the reports about the Vikings have been more vague. That is supposedly because they are mulling the situation and taking their time to make sure they do things the right way.
They traded up to select McCarthy in the first round of the draft last year. By all accounts, they were pleased with how he looked and called him the future of the franchise after his season-ending injury was announced.
The only issue is, the Vikings probably did a little better than even they anticipated last year with a 14-3 regular-season record behind QB Sam Darnold. If they could do that with Darnold, what could they do with a higher-level veteran? Are they just one step away from winning the Super Bowl? Those are the questions they have to be asking themselves, and Rodgers is the option if they decide to go all in on this current window.
That is what makes it the most attractive destination for Rodgers, and potentially why he is taking his sweet time to make up his mind. They could give him the opportunity to complete the Brett Favre cycle of Packers-Jets-Vikings and finish out his career on a high note with a chance to compete deep into the playoffs.
This is the first indication we’ve heard that the Vikings are leaning towards not making an offer to Rodgers, but it still hedges both sides and leaves the possibility open. Could those discussions going on behind closed doors be reaching a consensus soon? Once the Vikings are out, could Rodgers sign with the Steelers in a matter of minutes? Let’s hope it’s trending that way so we don’t have to continue speculating on his situation for the next several days or weeks.
