Though a couple of dominoes have fallen at the quarterback in the 2025 NFL free agency period — Justin Fields to the New York Jets, Sam Darnold to the Seattle Seahawks — there’s one quarterback that’s holding up the rest of the market. That man is Aaron Rodgers, who became a free agent for the first time in his professional career on Thursday with his official release from the Jets.
Rodgers has reportedly been in talks with several teams looking to get a deal done, including the Pittsburgh Steelers, the New York Giants and, most recently, the Minnesota Vikings. Now two days into the new league year, Rodgers has yet to land with a new team despite rumored interest. It appears the hold-up in deciding his future, at least at this time, isthe Vikings.
Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported Friday that, “The Vikings are having discussions about what they want to do at quarterback and if they want Rodgers. Rodgers is giving them time and waiting to hear from Minnesota. The Vikings have yet to make a decision.”
At the crux of that discussion for the Vikings is quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who was drafted 10th overall by Minnesota in the 2025 NFL Draft
. Unfortunately, McCarthy suffered a knee injury in the 2024 preseason that kept him out of the lineup for his entire rookie season, leaving the Vikings in a position without as much insight as they’d probably like at this point regarding his development on the field. With Sam Darnold as the starter, the Vikings went 14-3, ranking ninth in the league in points scored (432) and fifth in points against (332) — far more competitive than most expected given skepticism about Darnold’s upside as a starter.
