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Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell (left) and Green Bay Packers head coach Matt Lafleur.
The Minnesota Vikings spent a considerable amount of time thinking about adding former Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the roster this offseason, ultimately passing on the idea (for now, at least), but leaving the door open for the future.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur met with media members on Tuesday, April 1, and spoke about the possibility of Rodgers landing with the rival Vikings.
“It would be a hell of a story, wouldn’t it?” LaFleur said. “There’s great players on every team, so if it works out, it works out. It’s not something that I’m going to sit there and constantly think about. Sure, you think about it the week of when you’re playing somebody. But if it works out, great for them.”
Aaron Rodgers, Matt LaFleur Had Successful 4-Year Run With Packers
GettyFree agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers and LaFleur were a QB/head coach tandem in Green Bay for four years between 2019-22. The team went to the playoffs in each of the first three seasons of that four-year stretch, ending up in the NFC Championship Game following the 2019 and 2020 campaigns.
Rodgers earned MVP honors in both 2020 and 2021, as the Packers went 47-19 over the regular season across his run with LaFleur (2-3 in the postseason). The rising Detroit Lions bested the Packers in Rodgers’ final game with the franchise in Week 18 of the 2022 campaign, dropping Green Bay to an 8-9 record and keeping the Packers out of the playoffs.
Green Bay traded Rodgers to the New York Jets during the following offseason, where he played for two seasons. Rodgers suffered an Achilles tear on the first offensive drive of his first game in New York, missing the remainder of the campaign.
The Jets went 5-12 last season, releasing Rodgers at its conclusion. He finished the year with 3,897 passing yards, 28 TDs and 11 INTs.
Vikings Have Chosen J.J. McCarthy Over Aaron Rodgers, at Least For Now
GettyQuarterback J.J. McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings.
Rodgers’ statistics indicate that he remains a viable NFL starter, even as he enters his age-42 campaign. The league validated that contention, as the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers both made offers to Rodgers this offseason.
However, Rodgers kept both franchises at arm’s length, waiting for Minnesota to decide whether it wanted to bring him into the fold alongside second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
Sam Darnold started for Minnesota last season, leading the team to a 14-3 record and putting up monster numbers — 4,300 yards, 35 TDs and 12 INTs. The Vikings also brought in Daniel Jones after the Giants cut him mid-season.
Rodgers entered the conversation after both Darnold and Jones left in free agency, and garnered real consideration from the Vikings who arguably have a Super Bowl-caliber roster with one major question remaining under center. The logic is that Rodgers may be more equipped to lead the team on a title run, while McCarthy could use his second season to continue learning on the sideline.
Ultimately, Minnesota chose to stick with McCarthy, though general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah left the window slightly ajar for Rodgers.
“For me to sit here and say that anything’s 100 percent forever, that’s just not the job,” Adofo-Mensah said on March 26, per ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. “Obviously, things can change. But right now we’re really happy with our [QB] room, and we’re going to look to upgrade it in different ways.”
Pittsburgh’s ownership has said they believe Rodgers will eventually land with the Steelers. However, Rodgers has yet to commit to that outcome, while the Vikings have yet to add a veteran QB — a combination that has allowed the rumors of Rodgers to Minnesota to persist.
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group's family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible
