Finally, there’s some subtext about what transpired between free agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Minnesota Vikings. And it lends an outline to what’s unfolding right now — from Rodgers remaining in a holding pattern to the Pittsburgh Steelers staying patient in their pursuit of his services.
Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah met with the media on Wednesday, offering the most expansive public view to date about what has transpired between the team and Rodgers over the last few weeks. It was a session that was hopeful in the best-laid plans for 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy, noncommittal about definitively eliminating Rodgers from the future, and also clear when you analyze what’s going on between the lines. Which is something like this: As much as the Vikings are intrigued about adding Rodgers’ talent and experience to the fold, they won’t do it to the detriment of their plan for McCarthy being the team’s 2025 starter. And unless something changes that equation — like a McCarthy injury or some kind of catastrophic struggles in the coming months — the Vikings and Rodgers will be heading in different directions.
Adofo-Mensah didn’t put it into those precise terms, of course. As most NFL general managers do, he leaned into language that kept as many avenues as possible open. But the message was clear: Minnesota wants to go through the paces this offseason to move forward with McCarthy. And that’s just something that can’t be done with Rodgers on the roster … especially given the reality that he wants to be an NFL starter if he plays in 2025.
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“Right now, given all our scenario planning, we’re happy with our room,” Adofo-Mensah told reporters Wednesday.
“For me to sit here and say that, you know, anything is 100 percent forever — that’s just not the job, right? We’re responding to scenarios and different information as it comes. Obviously things can change but right now we’re really happy with…
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