The Minnesota Vikings have become a popular speculative destination for potential free agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers. His tenure with the New York Jets appears to be ending, and the Vikings could be a fitting landing spot.
Rodgers, 41, is in the driver’s seat of his career amid expectations that the Jets will release him.
“He’s made more money than any NFL player in history right now. That gives him the ability to sit back and be selective about what he does and doesn’t want to do. If there’s a situation that he’s not particularly enthralled with, he doesn’t have to do it,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter told Pat McAfee on the “Pat McAfee Show” on February 10.
“It’s a fluid moving thing, right? You just don’t know. There are seven guys. Is Minnesota, going to lose Sam Darnold? They going to bring him back? Is Sam Darnold gonna go somewhere else?”
“The bit inches closer to reality,” ESPN’s Kevin Seifert posted on X on February 10 in reaction.
The “bit” refers to Hall of Famer Brett Favre’s journey from the Green Bay Packers to the Vikings. Like Favre, the Packers traded Rodgers as the organization shifted its focus toward the future. In both instances, the Packers drafted the QB’s replacements.
Also like Favre, Rodgers’ time with the Jets has not met expectations. Rodgers’ tenure could end unceremoniously, potentially resulting in the four-time MVP joining the Vikings.
Rodgers is heading into the final year of a three-year, $112.5 million contract.
Ex-Vikings GM Could Push Aaron Rodgers Off Jets Roster
GettyAaron Rodgers #8 of the New York Jets looks on during a game against the Minnesota Vikings.
The Jets changed regimes after the 2024 season, including adding former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman. That has tilted the expectation toward Rodgers’ exit during the spring.
The Jets face significant financial ramifications.
“Longtime executive Rick Spielman, the new senior football adviser, will be a sounding board for [GM Darren] Mougey and [head coach Aaron] Glenn. Naturally, we’d all like to know his feelings about Aaron Rodgers, the looming quarterback decision and his overall take on the team,” ESPN’s Rich Cimini wrote on February 9.
“Again, these comments were from the middle of the season, several weeks before Spielman and The 33rd Team were hired to consult for the Jets on their coach and GM searches. But maybe they provide some insight into his thoughts.”
“The Jets’ decision to let Aaron Rodgers go does have implications. First, it’ll weigh the team’s salary cap down for the next couple of years—whether you take the bullet all at once, or designate a post–June 1 release, there’s $49 million in dead cap to deal with. Second, they’ll now have to go find a new quarterback in what’s probably not the ideal year to have to be doing that, given the dearth of high-end talent in the draft,” The Monday Morning Quarterback’s Albert Breer wrote on February 10.
“As for Rodgers, his options going forward are TBD. The Jets could try to trade him, though he’s due $37.5 million next year, and that may be more than a team is willing to spend on him (he has a $2.5 million base, and a $35 million option bonus due before the start of the 2025 season). They could take his lead on it—and my guess would be he’d rather be cut, and given the freedom to choose his destination.”
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said after the 2025 NFL Honors that the team will continue negotiations with Darnold this offseason.
They also have J.J. McCarthy on the roster and can re-sign Daniel Jones in free agency.
Vikings Trade Idea Lands Rams QB Matthew Stafford
GettyMatthew Stafford #9 of the Los Angeles Rams before a game against the Minnesota Vikings.
The Athletic’s Robert Mays suggested the Los Angeles Rams attempt to trade Matthew Stafford to the Vikings. The Rams would sign Darnold after trading Stafford for a first-round draft pick in Mays’ scenario.
“Can you trade Stafford for a [first-round pick] and then just sign Sam Darnold for the Stafford money, and is that actually a better place to be if you are the Los Angeles Rams for the next five years?,” Mays on “The Athletic Football Show” in January. “Because you get the draft capital in addition to a much younger quarterback on what is probably going to be a similar deal.”
Stafford, 37, has two more seasons on his four-year, $160 million contract.
However, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on “The Insiders” in January that Stafford will likely need a restructured deal.
Restructuring Stafford could be cheaper than Darnold and for fewer seasons. That would leave a clearer path for McCarthy. Stafford would also offer the Vikings more time to evaluate McCarthy than Rodgers.
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