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Aaron Rodgers has been a free agent for close to a month, and yet the future Hall of Famer remains without an NFL team for the 2025 season. With the New York Giants signing Russell Wilson this week, the former Green Bay Packers star seems to be losing logical destinations, too. So what, exactly, will the longtime quarterback do next? The Minnesota Vikings are leaving the door open for continued talks, but even they appear content proceeding with other options as well. Is it possible Rodgers will simply step away from the game entirely?
Everything is on the table, it seems. Which is why we decided to use our imagination and walk through potential negotiations. How might Rodgers' behind-the-scenes discussions be unfolding as we speak? What kind of offers could he be getting, and what does he truly value in his next destination, whether it's on the field or off it?
Cody Benjamin and Bryan DeArdo teamed up to play out the scenario. Benjamin assembled several offers, and DeArdo pretended to be Rodgers himself, weighing the options and making an ultimate decision for 2025.
Here's how it all went down:
Minnesota Vikings
The offer: 1 year, $25 million*
*Note: This offer is contingent on an early training camp assessment of J.J. McCarthy.
The pitch: This may not be your best financial offer, but you're not going to find a better place to play what could be your last NFL season. We've got world-class facilities in a division where you'll get at least two games to stick it to the Green Bay Packers. We've got the reigning Coach of the Year in Kevin O'Connell. We've got a reinforced offensive line and some of the best playmaking wideouts in the game in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. We'll push all the chips on you and the 2025 season if you're willing to pass the torch to J.J. McCarthy once the show is over. The one thing we ask is that you be patient and reject any other offers until summer, when we can properly assess McCarthy's readiness coming off knee surgery. We trust you'll understand why we must first prioritize our homegrown investment, but we hope that, should the door swing open, you'll choose to rock the purple.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The offer: 1 year, $30 million
The pitch: We could sell you on the proud tradition of this organization, from the six Super Bowl titles to the eight playoff appearances of the last 11 years. We could sell you on the storied Steel City feats of Ben Roethlisberger and Terry Bradshaw that came before. We could sell you on coach Mike Tomlin, one of the most respected in the game. Or the freshly dynamic duo of DK Metcalf and George Pickens out wide. But this isn't about us; it's about you. You still belong as a starter in this league. And this is the one place where you're guaranteed an unchallenged, no-holds-barred No. 1 job. We're tired of just making the dance. We want to win it. And we know you do, too. We've allowed our greatest signal-callers, like "Big Ben," to have strong voices in our strategy before. It'll be no different if you come aboard to help us return to the mountaintop.
Tentative retirement
The offer: Postpone all contract talks until well after the 2025 NFL Draft, and perhaps deep into training camp, with the unstated intention of hanging up the cleats, unless other opportunities present themselves.
The pitch: This one's simple: There are no must-have jobs on the table at this time. The Vikings aren't ready to commit. The Steelers are desperate, have been wild-card contenders at best as of late, and they could just as well use the draft to add their real quarterback of the present and/or future. Why rush to sign anywhere right now? Who's to say another aging quarterback won't go down in camp? What if a real or more geographically appealing contender, like the Los Angeles Rams or San Francisco 49ers, suddenly needs help in August? There's no harm in standing pat and letting the urgent suitors come to you. And if they don't? We saw with Russell Wilson, and to a lesser extent Tom Brady, that extending a career for the sake of extending "legacy" doesn't always pan out. A decade from now, people will most cherish your Packers stardom anyway. So hang tight.
Aaron Rodgers' response ...
I greatly appreciate your time and effort generating these offers. As you know, I don't rush decisions like this, but now that I have all of the information at my fingertips, I'm ready to make a decision.
... on Vikings
Quite honestly, I'm all in on the Vikings. They were 14-3 last year and have great players at the skill positions, including my old buddy, Aaron Jones. I love the moves they've made this offseason and I like the idea of playing for an ex-NFL quarterback (Kevin O'Connell) who got a lot out of Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold during his time with them. Plus, they play indoors and in a division I know well.
All that being said, I'm not going to sit and wait for them to determine whether J.J. is ready to go after looking at him during training camp. That's simply not fair to him whatsoever. I went through something similar with the Packers in 2008 after Brett Favre tried to come back, and I don't want to put J.J. or anyone else in a similar spot. If the Vikings want me, I'm ready, but if they'd rather begin the J.J. McCarthy era, that's fine, too.
... on Steelers
The Steelers are definitely intriguing. Everyone knows that I'm a huge Mike Tomlin fan, so playing for him would be fun. They have a good team and I'd imagine they'll be better this year after trading for DK Metcalf. You also can't talk about the Steelers without mentioning Pittsburgh and their fan base. It many ways, it would be like playing in Green Bay again. That experience was special and I'm sure playing in Pittsburgh in front of those fans would be a similar experience. But man, they play in a tough division they haven't won since 2020. And one of the things I learned last year is how tough the AFC is because of the great quarterbacks in that conference.
I have full confidence in myself and my abilities, but beating those quarterbacks, in addition to Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes for the right to get to the Super Bowl, is a tall task. I'm also 41 and will be 42 during the 2025 season. I may create headlines, but I don't want to deal with drama when it comes to immature teammates yelling for the ball and having temper tantrums when things don't go their way. Yes, I'm talking about George Pickens. As talented as he is, that's a headache I'd like to avoid, along with playing in front of a young offensive line that will likely include a first-time starter (Troy Fautanu) at right tackle and another young tackle (Broderick Jones) protecting my blind side.
I saw how the Steelers treated their last three starting quarterbacks (Kenny Pickett, Russell Wilson, Justin Fields). Each one had promising moments, but tumultuous finishes with the team. You could argue that each one was misled to a certain degree. As great as playing the Steelers could be, I'd rather not put myself in that position. Too many uncertainties for me at this stage of my career.
... on tentative retirement
So what's left? Ah, the non-decision of postponing talks and waiting to see if an opportunity presents itself. It's not ideal, but at this point, I think it's the best option of the three. I can continue to process information, work on my mental and physical well being and enjoy other aspects of life instead of going through yet another training camp. I can also stay in the limelight during my weekly "Pat McAfee Show" hits. Instead of binding myself to a team, I can have full control over how my career will end. I could decide to end it in a game that saw me throw four touchdowns (and included my 500th career touchdown pass), or I could come back if the Vikings or another contender needs me during the season. My legacy is pretty secure; winning a Super Bowl is the main reason why I would continue playing. This route gives me the best chance of doing that.
