“Aaron Rodgers wasn’t ready for his Jets divorce,” the first line of a New York Post article read while talking about his breakup with the New York Jets. However, after a dilapidated 5-12 record, the writing was already on the wall, despite Rodgers’ 0. On February 13 this year, the Jets finally announced a split putting an end to months of speculation. He was released as a post-June resignation, allowing the team to split his salary cap changes of $49 million over two years. However, a new question seems to be haunting the community nowadays. Where exactly will we see the quarterback next year? Riding off into the sunset, or running toward another Lombardi? Well, both. There are a couple of interesting updates to consider, topped off by the Minnesota Vikings’ HC Kevin O’Connell recently surfaced stance as confirmed by an insider…
For days, multiple teams have come up as Rodgers’ possible destination. For starters, the Steelers, who did not have a favorable season despite what the numbers tell you. Then there’s the New York Giants, who seem to have already made an offer to the QB. And, last but not the least, the Minnesota Vikings who seem to possess the biggest trump card right now. Multiple reports state that the veteran is seriously considering a move to O’Connell’s roster (similar to his Packers’ teammate Brett Favre), expecting an annual salary in the same general range as Sam Darnold’s—the former Vikings signal-caller recently signed a three-year, $100 million free agent deal with the Seattle Seahawks. The situation has even reached a point where it’s all or nothing for the former Packers player. Meaning?
The veteran quarterback might even retirement if the Vikings don’t offer him a role. Well, looks like that might soon become reality. The hurdle? JJ McCarthy, especially after Darnold and Daniel Jones’ departure (the latter joined the Indianapolis Colts on a one-year, $14 million deal). As per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Vikings are focused on developing their QB J.J. McCarthy rather than bringing a veteran onto the squad. During an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show on March 16, the host pointed out, “Help me understand what the Vikings are doing…I don’t know if they need to say if they’ve gotten to that point, ‘We’re not interested in Aaron Rogers’. Like, they could do that and you know put an end to this.”
To this, Fowler dived into what exactly is going on during the Vikings’ roster discussions. “You’re right,” the NFL insider began by agreeing to Patrick, before adding, “It’s curious, and I’m trying to find out what that means. The people I’ve talked to within the organization have been pretty consistent with their message with me. It’s that Aaron is possible but unlikely…I’m leaving room for a wild card, something crazy to happen with Rodgers. I don’t expect it. I think they’re ready to roll with JJ McCarthy…It’s very possible they’re waiting on some of these dominoes to fall and figure out how much money they need to spend on a good backup, so that it doesn’t mess up their comp pick formula, because they want future draft picks.”
“If you spend a certain amount of free agency without losing enough players and that balance is off, you don’t get as many draft picks. So that’s a consideration for them. So they’re trying to play the long game a little bit and the smart game, and not overreact here. Because they spent a lot of money on other positions last week. But all their moves, especially with like two big offensive line signings say, ‘We’re all in on JJ McCarthy and his development.’ Like from what they’ve told me…he has already proven he is going to be their franchise guy. It just depends on whether it happens today, four months from today, 12 months from today. But they are convinced of that, and so they’re just only willing to go so far,” he concluded.
Notably, just last week, Minnesota signed OT Will Fries to a five-year deal worth $88 million. They also signed Ryan Kelly on an $18 million two-year deal.
As for McCarthy, despite being picked 10th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, his rookie year, unfortunately, was far from a dream. He suffered a torn meniscus in his first preseason game, landing him on the injury reserve list for the 2024 season. However, his incredible college football career is perhaps why the Vikings are willing to bet on him. For the unversed: The quarterback finished his University of Michigan career with a staggering 27-1 record as a starter—garnering the best winning percentage (.964) in NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) history. In fact, he finished his last season with the team with a 15-0 record, and 2,991 rushing yards with 22 touchdowns.
Rodgers, on the other hand, was a shadow of his former self. He finished the 2o24 season with 3,897 passing yards (8th), 28 passing touchdowns (T-7th), and 11 interceptions (T-15th).
Also, speaking of the Vikings’ offensive moves, the team has released one of their longtime offensive stars.
Vikings’ cost-cutting: Pricey signings lead to veteran exit
After gracing the gridiron shining in the Vikings colors, Garrett Bradbury now has to say goodbye to the team. On Monday, Minnesota announced that they are releasing their longtime veteran center. The 29-year-old was on a $15.75M deal with the team. His contract had no guaranteed money for this year, which worked in the Vikings’ favor as they cut him without any financial penalty.
Also, the team is releasing him post-June 1, which means they can spread out the financial hit of his contract over two years. Minnesota will only take $2.44M in dead cap space in 2025, rather than absorbing the entire financial hit this year. This will allow them a bit more cap space this year, and every dollar matters.
This might mean that the Vikings might still add some more players to the roster. Kevin O’Connell and the front office management are still looking out for more free agents and trade acquisitions for this season. The team has already spent a lot of cash in free agency, but cutting Bradbury will give them a little ammo to spend some more. So, it may indeed be a smart move on their end.
From what Jeremy Fowler said, it’s less likely that they will spend this money on Aaron Rodgers. The team is eyeing some other players, and maybe they’ll pick someone from the Draft. Whatever the case may be, one thing is clear: the Vikings might still have one or two big signings up their sleeve.