Steelers, Giants … or Vikings? The latest on Aaron Rodgers Watch

Ralph Vacchiano

NFL Reporter

After two years with the New York Jets, Aaron Rodgers appears to be ready to emerge from the darkness so he can choose his next — and possibly last — team. At least, eventually.

After days of waiting and holding the fates of at least two franchises hostage, the 41-year-old quarterback is expected to choose his new team soon. It will likely be either the New York Giants or the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to multiple league sources. He has been in talks with both teams for several days, and he appears to be the top choice for both of them, too.

But while it’s not completely clear what Rodgers is waiting for, there is some speculation around the NFL that he is hoping the Minnesota Vikings get involved before he has to make up his mind. They have a theoretical opening after losing Sam Darnold to the Seattle Seahawks and Daniel Jones to the Indianapolis Colts. They just need to decide if they’re comfortable placing their 14-win team in the hands of J.J. McCarthy, who missed his entire rookie season with a knee injury, or if they’re more likely to make a Super Bowl run with Rodgers at the helm.

Rodgers was officially released by the Jets shortly after the new league year began at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, though he’s been able to talk with other teams since the Jets announced he wasn’t part of their future. What he decides, and what the Vikings decide, will have a cascade effect on all three franchises — the Steelers, Giants and Vikings. It’ll also change the fate of veteran quarterback Russell Wilson and possibly several other veterans, too.

With the Rodgers Watch still on, and getting closer to a conclusion, here’s what’s at stake for all three teams:

Pittsburgh Steelers

They have long looked like the best fit for Rodgers, since they were a 10-win team and have since added receiver DK Metcalf. They looked poised for a Super Bowl run last season before a late collapse, which was at least partly due to the declining play of Wilson.

The Steelers appear to be down on Wilson because of that. A source confirmed they attempted to re-sign Justin Fields, who began last season as their starter, before he got a two-year, $40 million deal and a chance to start with the Jets. But Rodgers has always been the more desirable option. They believe that coach Mike Tomlin is well-equipped to handle all the baggage and demands that come with Rodgers, according to a source, and that a chance to win and resurrect his image will help keep the future Hall of Famer in line.

The risk is Rodgers’ age and the fact that he was banged up most of last season, and his play often suffered. The Steelers still view him as their best current option to make them a Super Bowl contender. But it’s possible that if Rodgers’ financial demands are too much, they could pivot back to Wilson.

New York Giants

They are absolutely desperate to land Rodgers after failing to trade for Matthew Stafford. With a coach and general manager on the hottest seat in the league, they know they need a major upgrade at quarterback, even if they manage to draft one with the No. 3 overall pick next month.

The Giants, according to a team source, are ready to meet Rodgers’ financial demands and accommodate him in whatever other way is necessary. But they also suspect they are Rodgers’ last choice, given that they are a three-win team with hardly any success over the last decade. Their pitch is that Rodgers can return them to relevance and playoff contention, and rebuild his reputation in New York.

It’s unclear if Rodgers wants another year of being beaten up by the New York media. But he does apparently want to play two more years, according to multiple sources. If the Giants plan to draft a quarterback this year — and multiple sources indicate that they do — it might be hard to convince Rodgers that a two-year runway will really be available.

If Rodgers chooses the Steelers, the Giants are expected to quickly pivot to Wilson. If Rodgers ends up in Minnesota and Wilson lands in Pittsburgh, the Giants enter a nightmare scenario in which they will have missed out on their top three offseason quarterback targets. In that case — and unless Kirk Cousins suddenly becomes available from Atlanta — they would likely sign a veteran like Jameis Winston or Joe Flacco, then hope they get lucky in the draft (or find a way to trade up) and use one of those veterans as a very short-term bridge.

Minnesota Vikings

After losing Darnold to Seattle, they hoped to keep Jones as the backup to McCarthy, and possibly even as their starter at the beginning of the year. They believe McCarthy is their future and don’t want him to experience another lost year, so they are looking toward installing him as their starter at some point in 2025.

But that’s still a tough thing for a 14-win team to do. The decision is likely to come down to what coach Kevin O’Connell wants, a source said, but it has to be tough to turn over a potential Super Bowl team to an untested quarterback — especially when a future Hall of Famer is available. One source insisted that’s exactly what the Vikings were discussing internally earlier this week.

There are a lot of questions, though. Would Rodgers sign there knowing he’s a placeholder for McCarthy, even if he really wants to play two more years? Would the Vikings want to bring in a bridge starter who will surely be unhappy if he’s benched mid-year or even after the season? And just how ready do they believe McCarthy is? Remember, he was supposed to be their starter as a rookie before he got hurt last year.

Given how long Rodgers has taken to decide between the Steelers and Giants, multiple NFL sources are convinced he wanted to give the Vikings as much time as possible to turn back in his direction. But time is running out, and it’s not clear if they ultimately will.

Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him on Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.

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