Rapoport: Aaron Rodgers Decision Might Not Come Until NFL Draft amid Steelers Rumors

With veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ next destination still undecided, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said his decision could be dragged out until the 2025 NFL draft.

"Do you draft someone? That’s about a month away, so all of us would like this done sooner rather than later. I don’t get the sense that Rodgers is in any kind of hurry at all," Rapoport said. "Could it drag out all the way to the draft like it did two years ago? Maybe it could."

The four-time MVP was released by the New York Jets on March 12 and remains without a team just over a month before the NFL draft.

Rodgers is being targeted by the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers to become their franchise quarterback but is waiting it out as he is "hoping to sign" with the Minnesota Vikings over other options, per The Athletic.

The Vikings have been weighing their options in pursuing Rodgers after former quarterback Sam Darnold signed a three-year, $100 million deal with the Seattle Seahawks.

In addition, they are considering the impact of signing Rodgers on second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who was the 10th overall pick in the 2024 draft.

McCarthy suffered a torn meniscus that sidelined him for his entire rookie season. He has been viewed by most as the natural successor to Darnold after his exit, per The Athletic—something that would obviously change if the team signed Rodgers.

The team will ultimately have to decide between signing a 41-year-old veteran or committing to a 22-year-old up-and-coming quarterback. Several NFL executives have noted the decline in Rodgers' performance after watching him play late last season.

“He’s on the downside,” said one AFC exec, per Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer. “He still has the flashes of arm talent and accuracy. There’s a depreciation of the mobility that made him great, when he was that two-way, run/pass option player on every play. It’s relegated him to being more of a pocket-passing veteran. Do I think he can start for a year? I do. … He still sees the field well, has football intelligence, the quick release. His arm’s not quite what it was but with the right surrounding cast? Yes.”

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell's hesitation to give Rodgers a definitive answer is the primary factor delaying Rodgers' decision, keeping him from committing to other teams as he waits for Minnesota.