Many believed that after a disastrous 5-12 season with the New York Jets, Aaron Rodgers would finally retire at the age of 41. However, all signs point to the future Hall of Famer continuing in the NFL in 2025. That raises the question: where might he end up?
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The Minnesota Vikings have some questions at QB after a freefall in form for Sam Darnold over the final weeks of the 2024 campaign. Darnold will be a free agent, but they still have 2024 1st-round pick J.J. McCarthy, who will be fully recovered from a meniscus surgery by the time teams get going for mini camp this spring. However, is the Michigan product ready to take the reins after rehabbing for most of his rookie year?
Could it be that an Aaron Rodgers stopgap in 2025 is exactly what the win-now Vikings need? Vikings legend and 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class member Jared Allen talked about how “creepy” it would be if Rodgers did come to the Vikings after playing for the Packers for decades and the Jets for a short time. It’s nearly the exact career trajectory of Rodgers’ predecessor in Green Bay: Brett Favre.
“I say, reluctantly yes, only because I experienced it with Brett. And it’s creepy how it’s the same path. Brett went to the Jets; everyone thought Brett was done. He came to us in ’09 and he had fire. I mean, he was hungry; we went out there and destroyed the NFC North, and could’ve went to the Super Bowl. I’m not opposed to that. You see what O’Connell’s capable of. You see, the weapons we have,” said the two-time NFL sack leader on Kay and Adams.
Darnold had been nearly guaranteed a massive new deal with Minnesota after going 15-2, but awful showings in Week 18 and Wild Card weekend make it unlikely that he will be retained by the Vikings. He played much better than Rodgers last year, there’s no getting around that. However, with Rodgers’ Hall of Fame resume and playoff experience, one would think Minnesota’s ceiling with him under center is higher.
Can he replicate the season that Favre had in 2009 with the Vikings at age 40? Even though Favre played in the much more run-heavy era of the late 2000s, his 2009 Vikings season made Rodgers’ effort in 2024 look pretty awful. However, if we look at Favre’s season with the Jets the year before he joined Minnesota, Rodgers’ bounce-back potential starts to seem much more realistic.
Favre in his Jets year vs. Rodgers in his Jets year. Remember, Favre had an MVP caliber season the very next year with the Vikings. Could Rodgers follow suit? pic.twitter.com/ADgNErPxlP
— Bob Sacamano (@dremurray3) February 18, 2025
Another reason Rodgers joining the Vikings would make sense is that he could serve as an excellent mentor for McCarthy as he re-learns the ropes now that he’s fully healthy.
Rodgers himself was a product of sitting behind Favre for his first three seasons. Rodgers’ own Packers successor, Jordan Love, also looks pretty good after sitting for his first two years. Carson Palmer, Tom Brady, Philip Rivers, Drew Brees, Michael Vick, Patrick Mahomes, Tony Romo, and Kirk Cousins also had successful careers after sitting for at least one year.
“I’m not opposed to that on a one-year stopgap if you think J.J. McCarthy needs a little more time. Because, let’s be honest… there’s not many better people he can learn behind… You look at success of top-pick QBs that have sat for a few years, especially behind really, really good QBs, they all had phenomenal careers. A lot of these kids get rushed to the table,” Allen added.
At the end of the day, however, the most important thing is what Rodgers wants out of the remainder of his career. Does he just want to have fun? Does he still have the passion? Is the love of the game gone? Is he willing to make sacrifices for the team?
“So, if you can do it at a decent rate, the weapons are there, and my goodness… As a fan, it would be interesting… You don’t know what the internal dynamics of a franchise are… there’s a whole bunch of drama going on, he’s coming off an Achilles. He seemed to be okay. The question would be, what is his drive, what does Aaron want to do?” the former DE concluded.
HOF’er Jared Allen would take Aaron Rodgers over Sam Darnold for the Vikings @heykayadams @Vikings | #Skol pic.twitter.com/9xMfGAiAe2
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) February 18, 2025
There’s no doubt that Aaron Rodgers will have more success with this Vikings team in 2025 than he did with the messy Jets in 2024. Kevin O’Connell is a top offensive mind in the NFL. His offensive scheme is also similar to the one Matt LaFleur ran with Rodgers in Green Bay.
The world-class weapons surrounding him would also be an improvement over last year. Not to mention the chance to get some sweet revenge on those old Packers—just like Favre did (twice) in his first year with the Vikings in 2009.
