The NFL world has been on Aaron Rodgers watch for the last few weeks. Will he join the crosstown team, the New York Giants, after spending two years with the Jets? Or could he form an unlikely pairing with Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh?
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Then, all of a sudden, reports emerged that Rodgers is actually waiting for the Minnesota Vikings—not the other two teams vying for his services. However, just as quickly as the speculation caught fire, the Vikings seem to have doused the flames.
The latest report from NFL’s Tom Pelissero has revealed that Minnesota has firmly rejected multiple trade calls for their rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy, reaffirming their commitment to him as QB1 for the 2025 season. And as for Rodgers? According to the insider, the Vikings are “not pursuing him at this time.”
For some, that was enough to close the book on the Rodgers-to-Minnesota saga. For others, like Mike Florio, this was a moment to thank the football Gods for their benevolence.
On an episode of Pro Football Talk (via YouTube), Florio and his co-host Chris Simms couldn’t help but react with sarcasm and relief to the love story between Rodgers and the Vikings.
But soon after, the veteran journalist provided some solid analysis, stating that Pelissero’s report was Kevin O’Connell’s way of shutting down any narratives about their interest in Rodgers before they spiraled out of control.
“People on the outside don’t know what the hell we’re doing, and it’s creating the impression that we don’t know what we’re doing. So, we need to do something here. We need to close the door on this Aaron Rodgers talk, or it’s never going to end,” Florio said, speculating on what might have been discussed in the Vikings’ front office before their statement.
And close the door they did—at least for now. “So they’ve apparently closed the door,” Florio noted before adding a caveat.
“Yeah, it seems—unless they’re lying to one of the in-house, on-the-payroll reporters to just create a diversion—this is over, this is done. Aaron Rodgers to Minnesota is done. Glory, Glory, Hallelujah! There will be no Aaron Rodgers in Minnesota this year. Thank you, football Jesus.”
But as history has taught us, in the NFL, doors don’t always stay shut.
Mike Florio believes Aaron Rodgers to the Vikings is still not over
Hours after Florio thanked the almighty, the veteran analyst hilariously wrote a piece on PFT suggesting that the Vikings can still revisit Rodgers later in the offseason. Why so? Because of Brett Favre.
According to Florio, if McCarthy thrives during training camp or OTAs, Rodgers will be an afterthought. But if he struggles, the door to Minnesota could swing wide open—just as it did for Favre (Rodgers’ predecessor) back in 2009.
For those out of the loop, the Vikings back then had given a relatively inexperienced Tarvaris Jackson a chance to prove himself before ultimately handing the reins to a 39-year-old Brett Favre at the fag end of the offseason.
So, would it be ideal for Rodgers to join Minnesota late in the summer? Probably not. Would it be clunky? Absolutely. But if history has shown us anything, it’s that when an aging superstar is available, teams find ways to make it work—cough cough Pittsburgh Steelers.
So, while Vikings fans may be breathing a sigh of relief today, Florio’s message is clear—don’t exhale just yet.
