There is a prevailing sentiment that claims a man is only as good as his word. Well, after a series of controversies in the media, in addition to a regular season record of 5-12 and zero playoff appearances, not many franchises seem interested in taking Aaron Rodgers at his word right now.
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As the list of potential homes for the 20-year NFL veteran continues to shrink, the future Hall of Famer is now being linked to the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants.
On the latest episode of The Pat McAfee Show, the NFL’s premiere insider, Ian Rapoport, did his best at assessing the ongoing situation of Rodgers.
Suggesting that these are the final two options for Rodgers at this point in time, Rapoport highlighted the positives of both team’s situations.
“If it’s the Giants, first of all, he doesn’t have to move. Second of all, it’s a team they’ve added to free agency. They’ve still got some weapons. They are a team that, when they’ve had a good quarterback… they’ve won… The Steelers have lost a lot in free agency but it’s still the Steelers. You’ve got that defense, you got the fans, you got the stadium, you got Tomlin. I can understand why it’s a tough decision.”
While the deal would of course have to be suitable to Rodgers and his camp, Rapoport mentioned that both New York and Pittsburgh could have a bit of a hard time in narrowing down the right numbers for his contract.
Given the age and ever-slumping status of his on field performances, it’s likely that the former Green Bay Packer would take a smaller deal at this point in time. However, Rapoport did feel the need to highlight that the pressure to find the right number will be more so on the franchises rather than Rodgers.
“Trying to figure out what you pay Aaron Rodgers is actually a real challenge… I feel like it would sort of be like “What would you take to come play for us?” When you get to this point, that’s kind of the negotiations. Right? It’s like, “We like you, can you just figure out a good salary? …If you’re the Steelers or Giants you would like to know, but you’re not going to hassle Rodgers.”
Upon being asked when should fans expect to see a finalized deal involving Rodgers, Rapoport succinctly noted, “He’ll let them know when he lets them know, but I personally would rather it be today.” Suffice to say, a deal will be done sooner rather than later.
Having thrown for 3,897 passing yards in 2024, there’s no denying that there is still some gas left in the tank of Rodgers. Thankfully for him, both the Giants and the Steelers are able to provide at least one dynamic receiving option.
Whether he prefers to work with Malik Nabers, or the dynamic duo of DK Metcalf and George Pickens, is yet to be determined. But it’s hard to go wrong with either choice. While a deal with the Giants would allow him to keep his current residency, a 3-14 regular season record may indicate that they are much more than a quarterback away from being serious contenders.
Nevertheless, whichever team signs Rodgers will likely serve as the final stop in what has been one of the most storied careers in NFL history. They may not be able to provide him with a storybook ending, but at least they can provide a venue for the Canton-bound Rodgers and his retirement tour.
