As we near the conclusion of the first full week of legal tampering and free agency, the Pittsburgh Steelers still don’t have their 2025 starting quarterback. Unless you’re a fan of Mason Rudolph, that is. Pittsburgh’s been waiting on its Plan A, Aaron Rodgers, for quite a while. As the wait continues, the Minnesota Vikings have apparently become players in the Rodgers sweepstakes.
“I think they’re leaning towards doing it, at this point,” The Athletic’s Dianna Russini said Friday of the Vikings signing Rodgers on 93.7 The Fan. “I just know that there are some people there, that may not be fully on board. And it really just comes down to the power of those people. Whatever Kevin O’Connell wants is probably what’s going to happen. And I think they’re really just having serious conversations because it is layered.”
The quarterback position has been a roller-coaster for the Vikings over the past couple of seasons. Their longtime starter, Kirk Cousins, left in free agency for the Atlanta Falcons last offseason. Minnesota brought in Sam Darnold and drafted J.J. McCarthy. The first-round pick nearly earned the starting job in the preseason before going down with a season-ending injury.
After a 14-3 season that ended in disappointing fashion, the Vikings allowed Darnold to leave in free agency, seemingly clearing the way for McCarthy. Rodgers would make things even more complicated there, but if the Vikings don’t feel that McCarthy’s recovered in time, it might make sense.
One thing is for sure, the Vikings are making this much more complicated than the Steelers would like. Even if they don’t end up pursuing Rodgers, the fact that he hasn’t decided between the Steelers and Giants means he must view Minnesota as a viable option.
And so the waiting game may continue.
“I don’t get the feeling from the Minnesota side to this, the Aaron Rodgers side to this, that anyone is in any hurry to get this done,” Russini said.
As is typical with Rodgers, nobody really knows what his next move is. He could decide to stay in the New York market with the Giants. He could choose the Vikings or Steelers. He could even decide to call it quits.
If it’s not Pittsburgh, the Steelers find themselves in an undesirable situation. They could roll with Rudolph going into the year. Or Cousins might even become an option. Either way, that’s not a situation the Steelers expected to be in coming into the offseason.
