The market for QB Aaron Rodgers since the start of the legal tampering period in free agency has seemingly been between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants. The assumption has been that Rodgers will sign with one of those two teams, but he hasn’t made a decision through two days, and ESPN’s Dan Graziano thinks one potential reason is possible interest from the Minnesota Vikings.
“I think part of it is the slim, non-zero chance that Minnesota might still be available. They want a veteran to sort of play until J.J. McCarthy is ready, whether that be health of development wise,” Graziano said on ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike this morning. Now, Aaron Rodgers, probably not that guy, cause if you sign him he’s gonna play as long as he’s healthy. So it would represent a significant shift in Minnesota’s plans to do that. I don’t think they’re going to, but I don’t think the chance is absolutely zero.”
Minnesota lost QB Sam Darnold to the Seattle Seahawks and QB Daniel Jones to the Indianapolis Colts, meaning J.J. McCarthy would likely be penciled in as its QB1 if the season started tomorrow. McCarthy was going to compete with, but likely sit behind, Darnold to begin last season, but he suffered a torn meniscus during the preseason. He later had a second knee surgery in November.
McCarthy might still not be 100%, and the Vikings could be looking to a veteran to potentially play and give McCarthy the time he needs to get up to speed with his health and also develop into a starting quarterback. That’s where someone like the 41-year-old Rodgers could come into play. As Graziano noted, if the Vikings sign Aaron Rodgers, he wouldn’t come off the bench once they feel comfortable with McCarthy. That could certainly be a potential holdup, but if the team decides its comfortable with McCarthy taking essentially another redshirt year, then Rodgers could wind up in Minnesota.
The ramifications for Pittsburgh would be interesting, given that would then leave two QB-needy teams in the Steelers and the Giants, both of whom seemingly have Russell Wilson as a fallback plan. At that point, Wilson’s decision would have a major ripple effect because there simply isn’t a whole lot of talent left at quarterback. The Steelers would have to turn to someone like Gardner Minshew II if Rodgers chose the Vikings and Wilson chose the Giants, and that’s far from an ideal choice.
There’s no home-run option left at quarterback, but Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson are Pittsburgh’s best bet for being competitive and trying to win now. Missing out on either of them after already losing Justin Fields would be nothing short of a disaster.
