The Minnesota Vikings are in the quarterback market after a rough first season as a starter for J.J. McCarthy. Veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers is on the market with 21 years of experience in the league. There’s no quarterback who knows the Vikings better than Rodgers, but is Rodgers landing with the Vikings really a possibility?
Aaron Rodgers’ 2026 Options Narrow to Steelers After Vikings Stay Out
Rodgers has as much experience in the NFL as you could ask for, and he’s arguably one of the smartest players in the game. Both of those traits would seem to work well with coach Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota. However, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport doesn’t think the two will team up in 2026.
“My sense is it’s the #Steelers or no one.”
– @RapSheet on Aaron Rodgers pic.twitter.com/ofcylUuFiO
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) March 6, 2026
“They had a chance last year and didn’t do it,” Rapoport said on the “Dan Patrick Show” Friday. “I’d be surprised if they did it this year with the same exact opportunity present.”
Last year, the Vikings let Sam Darnold walk in free agency, and rather than bringing in a proven veteran like Rodgers, they decided to hand control of the offense over to McCarthy.
While injuries halted his development, McCarthy’s first year as a starter was rough, and now he has the Vikings, at the bare minimum, to bring in another guy to compete with him for the starting job next season.
“In any case, the Vikings figure to be more active on the quarterback market than they were a year ago, when they watched Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones leave while ending a brief flirtation with Aaron Rodgers,” The Minnesota Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling wrote.
“They turned the job over to McCarthy; they appear intent to at least make him earn it in 2026.”
As for Rodgers, he said on the Pat McAfee Show Thursday that there are no offers on the table for him.
However, Rapoport believes he knows what a potential offer would be, around $20 million. He said it’s up to Rodgers whether he wants to play. “My sense is it’s the Steelers or no one,” Rapoport said. “It’s just on him to make a decision.”
It would make sense if Rodgers decides to return to Pittsburgh. He went through an exhaustive search last season and landed with the Steelers.
While coach Mike Tomlin is gone, his former coach, Mike McCarthy, is in. The two spent 13 years together in Green Bay and won a Super Bowl.
As for when Rodgers will make his decision, only he knows. If we’ve learned anything about the four-time All-Pro quarterback throughout the last five years, it’s that he takes his time to make decisions.
