The dominoes may be gradually falling into place as far as where future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers will play during the 2025 NFL season, assuming he doesn't retire.
He met with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Friday, and that meeting reportedly met well. The Minnesota Vikings reportedly will fully commit to starting J.J. McCarthy at quarterback instead of courting Rodgers, whose preference has reportedly been to sign with them.
On Friday, the New York Giants made a move that made it seem as if they, too, would move on from their pursuit of Rodgers.
They signed another veteran former Pro Bowl signal-caller by the name of Jameis Winston to a two-year contract, Winston, 31, played for the Cleveland Browns last season, and although he had a few strong performances, overall his numbers weren't impressive.
According to veteran NFL insider Albert Breer, Winston's arrival will not affect whether the Giants go after Rodgers.
Jameis Winston to the Giants-this is a smart move by New York. Gives them a vet in the room for now. Their pursuit of Aaron Rodgers is totally unaffected by it, I'm told. https://t.co/55kHb82U4P
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 22, 2025
Winston, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, once led the league with 5,109 passing yards in 2019, but he also had a league-high 30 interceptions that same year. In 2024, he threw for 2,121 yards, 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completing 61.1% of his pass attempts.
It has been said that going to the Giants is an attractive option for Rodgers because it would mean he wouldn't have to leave his home in the New York City area. He spent the last two years with the New York Jets, and the Jets won a combined 12 games during that time. Even though Rodgers played in all 17 games in 2024, they mustered just five victories after going 7-10 in 2023 when he tore his Achilles in Week 1.
Complicating matters is the fact that the Giants have the No. 3 pick in next month's draft. There have been reports that they may want to use it on University of Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders or even try to trade up to No. 1 in order to take Cam Ward.
