Aaron Rodgers became a free agent for the first time in his NFL career this offseason. Almost two weeks after all 32 teams were first permitted to negotiate with unsigned veterans, however, the future Hall of Fame quarterback remains without a home. The New York Jets said goodbye, the Minnesota Vikings said no thanks (for now), and only a few others appear legitimately interested in signing the former MVP.
Headlining the “others” are the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers, each of whom has signed a veteran backup — Jameis Winston and Mason Rudolph, respectively — but lacks a surefire Week 1 starter. The Vikings sniffed around the idea of adding Rodgers in a reenactment of the Brett Favre finish but now seem content with kicking off the J.J. McCarthy era. The Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans are in full-on rebuild mode, preparing to potentially reset the quarterback spot early in the 2025 NFL Draft.
All that said, is anyone really expecting Rodgers to make his decision before the draft?
At this point, basically everything is set at the quarterback position league-wide, barring a surprise blockbuster trade or catastrophic injury. Something like 27 of the NFL’s 32 teams are committed — either contractually or philosophically — to a veteran starter, and the few teams without a proven arm penciled into a top gig have relatively clear options and/or fallback plans:
The Titans own the No. 1 overall pick in the draftThe Browns own the No. 2 pick and also acquired Kenny Pickett via tradeThe Giants own the No. 3 pick and also signed Jameis WinstonThe Steelers own the No. 21 pick and also signed Mason RudolphThe Vikings used last year’s No. 10 pick on J.J. McCarthy
If we effectively rule out the Browns and Titans as logical destinations for Rodgers, who’d be settling for a lowly team in transition even if either organization suddenly expressed interest, that leaves three feasible…
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