The Aaron Rodgers waiting game continued on Saturday and every day it drags on, teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants roll the dice on their immediate futures.
So, what's the hold up? According to The Athletic's Dianna Russini, Rodgers is waiting to see if the Minnesota Vikings are interested in signing him. While the Vikings let 2024 signal caller Sam Darnold walk to the Seattle Seahawks and presumably will back second-year passer J.J. McCarthy as its starter, Rodgers is letting general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah take his time in making his decision but still "hoping" to land in Minneapolis.
In fact, a new report from The Athletic says it's possible Rodgers could retire if the Vikings aren't interested.
That leaves Pittsburgh and New York playing a game QB musical chairs for the time being, and the music is just droning on and on with no sign of stopping.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported on Saturday's edition of SportsCenter that Russell Wilson is "in a position where he can and is ready to sign somewhere, but he appears to be the backup No. 2 option in both Pittsburgh and New York -- so he’s gotta wait on the Rodgers domino to fall most likely, and Cleveland is a wild card.”
Giants, Steelers at risk of missing out on bona fide QB while Aaron Rodgers takes his sweet time
Whenever Rodgers does eventually decide where he wants to play, it's going to be a mad scramble to get Wilson's signature down on paper. In the scenario where Minnesota decides to complete the Brett Favre prophecy and bring in Rodgers, the Giants and Steelers will be most at risk of being without a sure fire starter in 2025.
The Browns own the No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming draft and traded for Philadelphia Eagles backup Kenny Pickett to presumably takeover in the absence of Deshaun Watson as he recovers from a ruptured Achilles.
New York owns the No. 3 overall pick but if it cannot sign either of Rodgers or Wilson, it'll be forced to pay whatever price the Tennessee Titans set for the No. 1 pick and presumably Miami QB Cam Ward. If that plan can't come to fruition, general manager Joe Schoen may be stuck employing free agents Jameis Winston or Joe Flacco (who visited on Thursday), or worse, exploring a risky trade for Kirk Cousins from Atlanta.
Pittsburgh would be in a similar situation as New York if Wilson chose to spurn a return to his 2024 home. However, the Steelers select 21st overall in the first round and would have to hope Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders falls to them, or settle for a lesser rookie in the second or third round.
We're all hoping for the music to stop playing in this excruciating game of musical chairs but the teams being affected better hope they're prepared to land their guy when it does.
