It was initially reported on Wednesday morning that the Minnesota Vikings were "not pursuing" quarterback Aaron Rodgers and were turning to 2024 first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy.
It's now clear that the Vikings could give Rodgers a call depending on how McCarthy looks during springtime workouts coming off the full meniscus repair that cost him his entire rookie season.
Some members of the NFL community have suggested that the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants can't afford to wait to see if they'll be picked by Rodgers in the event that the Vikings ultimately reject the future Hall of Famer. On Thursday morning, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk shared why that's not the case.
"The Steelers and/or Giants could add a veteran with the understanding that, if Rodgers comes calling at some point down the road, the veteran will be sent packing," Florio explained. "That will make the terms of any contract even more important; the fully guaranteed money at signing, or lack thereof, will shine plenty of light on whether the veteran is at risk of being thrown overboard if/when Rodgers shows up."
Logic suggests the Steelers already would've re-signed Russell Wilson, their first-choice starter for the 2024 season, if the two sides were desperately craving a reunion at this point of March. The Giants haven't yet made locking Wilson down a priority, and there's no indication either the Cleveland Browns or Tennessee Titans are in a rush to sign him.
Assuming it's true that the Atlanta Falcons could hold onto Kirk Cousins up through the completion of the 2025 NFL Draft on April 26, both the Giants and Steelers can wait to see what the Vikings do about Rodgers and McCarthy. No disrespect meant, but losing out on veterans such as Jameis Winston and Joe Flacco probably wouldn't cost those running the Giants and Steelers much sleep if those signal-callers looked for work elsewhere this spring.
As of the third Thursday of March, the likely conclusions to these offseason sagas involve Rodgers joining the Steelers and Wilson becoming the Giants QB1. With meaningful practices still months down the road, the Steelers and Giants can, in Florio's words, afford to "sit around and wait for Rodgers" until further notice.
