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The Minnesota Vikings are content to proceed with JJ McCarthy as their quarterback and won’t sign free agent Aaron Rodgers, multiple outlets reported on Wednesday.
Rodgers reportedly has offers from the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants but had been waiting for word from Minnesota before making a decision on his future.
The Vikings selected McCarthy with the 10th overall pick in last year’s draft, after he had led Michigan to the College Football Playoff championship. He missed the entire 2024 season after surgery to repair his torn right meniscus. In McCarthy’s place, Sam Darnold led the Vikings to a 14-3 record in the regular season but the team chose to let him walk in free agency, and he signed with the Seattle Seahawks.
The Vikings have their sights on the Super Bowl and clearly decided the 22-year-old McCarthy was a better all-around option than the 41-year-old Rodgers. McCarthy still is on his rookie deal and will earn a base salary of $960,000. Rodgers would have commanded millions, leaving the Vikings fewer options to strengthen their roster.
Minnesota have reportedly rejected trade discussions with other teams about McCarthy.
Now the attention is on Rodgers to tell the Steelers and the Giants of his plans. One Steelers player, veteran Cameron Heyward, said he’s tired of waiting on Rodgers, a four-time NFL Most Valuable Player.
“Either you want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler or you don’t,” he said Tuesday on his Not Just Football podcast. “It’s that simple. That’s the pitch. If you want me to recruit, that’s the recruiting pitch. Pittsburgh Steelers. If you want to be part of it, so be it. If you don’t, no skin off my back.”
Rodgers is coming off a disappointing season in which he led the New York Jets to a 5-12 record as the team’s playoff drought continued. He completed 368 passes for 3,897 yards with 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. His QBR rating of 48.0 was 25th out of 32 qualified starting quarterbacks.
