Aaron Rodgers Rumors: Vikings 'Dark Horse' to Land QB amid Giants, Sam Darnold Buzz

The Minnesota Vikings are reportedly now being viewed as a potential landing spot for veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Rodgers is considering a move to the New York Giants, but the Vikings have emerged as a "dark horse" to sign him.

Rapoport added that Sam Darnold, who was the Vikings' starting quarterback last season, is expected to be pursued in free agency by the Seattle Seahawks after they traded Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders on Friday.

As a result, Darnold's time with the Vikings is "likely over," per Rapoport, leaving Minnesota to consider other options such as signing Rodgers or re-signing Daniel Jones.

Rodgers, 41, spent his first 18 NFL seasons with the Green Bay Packers, and he put together a Hall of Fame résumé with 10 Pro Bowl nods, four First Team All-Pro selections, four NFL MVP Awards, one Super Bowl win and one Super Bowl MVP Award.

The Packers traded Rodgers to the New York Jets prior to the 2023 season, but he essentially missed the entire 2023 campaign after tearing his Achilles on the Jets' first offensive series.

Rodgers returned to start all 17 games for the Jets last season, completing 63.0 percent of his passes for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, but New York was among the league's worst teams with a 5-12 record.

Head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas were fired during the season and later replaced by Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey. The new regime publicly announced last month that it would move on from Rodgers this offseason.

The Giants, who released Jones during the 2023 season, are perhaps the front-runners to sign Rodgers, as The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported recently that the G-Men were "shifting their interest" toward Rodgers after failing to acquire Matthew Stafford from the Los Angeles Rams.

From Rodgers' perspective, Minnesota would be a better landing spot than the Giants since the Vikings were among the best teams in the NFL last season with a 14-3 record.

He would get to play his home games indoors and would be surrounded by a great cast of offensive weapons, including wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, as well as tight end T.J. Hockenson.

Rodgers could also reunite with former Packers teammate Aaron Jones if the Vikings re-sign the running back.

Jones signed with the Vikings after getting released by the Giants last season, but he served as a backup and did not see any game action. Rapoport noted that the Indianapolis Colts have interest in Jones.

The Vikings' plans for 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy could play a role in what they do at quarterback in free agency.

If Minnesota wants to give McCarthy a legitimate chance to start in 2025 after missing all of last season with a knee injury, re-signing Jones and letting them compete for the starting job would perhaps make the most sense.

However, if the Vikings want McCarthy to sit and learn for another year, Rodgers could be a great choice to help him develop.

If Rodgers does end up in Minnesota, it would result in one of the all-time great NFL coincidences, as he would essentially follow the same career path as Brett Favre.

After a one-year stint with the Atlanta Falcons, Favre was the Packers' starting quarterback for 16 seasons until Rodgers took over. Favre then spent one season with the Jets and two with the Vikings.

The Packers-to-Jets-to-Vikings arc is now a legitimate possibility for Rodgers as well.