As former Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers continues to ponder his future in the NFL—if there is one, anyway, as retirement is obviously still an option—it's essentially now a lock that he'll never complete the Brett Favre career path by wearing a Minnesota Vikings uniform.
It certainly wasn't for a lack of effort on his part, as the four-time NFL MVP reportedly made a somewhat desperate plea to the Vikes, saying he'd be willing to come to Minnesota for one year in an attempt to win a Super Bowl while also serving as a mentor to J.J. McCarthy.
McCarthy, of course, was taken 10th overall by Minnesota in the 2024 NFL Draft but saw his rookie campaign end early after suffering a season-ending knee injury during the preseason, at which point Sam Darnold stepped in and led the Vikings to a 14-3 record.
With McCarthy still seen as the future of the franchise, Darnold, who played last season on a one-year, $10 million deal and had the best year of his career, opted to take his talents to the Seattle Seahawks, inking a three-year, $100.5 million contract.
As such, Rodgers, who was released by the New York Jets on March 12, saw an opportunity to return to the NFC North, thus risking his Packers legacy as Favre did, but was rebuffed.
But this is the NFL, and we all know that anything can happen. Just ask Shedeur Sanders, who had to watch 143 other players go off the board at this year's draft before he was finally taken by the Cleveland Browns in Round 5 at No. 144 overall.
So, even with the Vikings rejecting Rodgers' offer, there still seemed to be a small chance that he could end up wearing purple. But given what the Vikings just pulled off in a trade, the door seems to finally be closed for good.
Aaron Rodgers to the Vikings is seemingly off the table after Minnesota's trade for Sam Howell
Breaking: Seahawks are trading QB Sam Howell to the Vikings, a source told @AdamSchefter. pic.twitter.com/xvmKJwDPld
— ESPN (@espn) April 26, 2025
Not long before Sanders finally went off the board on Day 3, Adam Schefter announced on the 2025 NFL Draft broadcast that the Vikings had made a trade with the Seahawks to acquire quarterback Sam Howell.
As mentioned, the Seahawks signed Darnold to a lucrative contract and also brought in Drew Lock. They then drafted Alabama QB Jalen Milroe on Friday night in Round 3 at No. 92 overall, thus making Howell expendable.
With the Vikings having only Brett Rypien to back up McCarthy, they sent pick No. 142 to Seattle for Howell, also receiving pick No. 172. Is it a blockbuster move? No. But Minnesota needed some experience behind their young signal-caller, and Howell can bring at least a little bit of that, as he has 18 NFL starts to his credit.
So, Rodgers can now either sign with the Steelers or retire, as those seem to be the only options he has left.
By the way, how do you think he felt watching the Packers take two wide receivers, obviously including first-rounder Matthew Golden, and an offensive lineman with their first three draft picks?