Packers HC Says Aaron Rodgers Joining Vikings Would Be 'Hell of a Story' Amid Rumors

Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur commented Tuesday on the possibility of former Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers signing with the NFC North rival Minnesota Vikings in free agency.

Speaking to reporters at the league meetings in Palm Beach, Florida, LaFleur said the following about the idea of Rodgers donning Vikings purple:

"It would be a hell of a story, wouldn't it? There's great players on every team, so if it works out, it works out. It's not something that I'm going to sit there and constantly think about. Sure, you think about it the week of when you're playing somebody. But if it works out, great for them."

Rodgers has been linked to a few teams this offseason, but his options have diminished with each passing day.

The Giants are no longer in play after signing both Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, which suggests the Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers may be the only possibilities remaining.

Per ESPN's Kevin Seifert, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said last week that 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy being the team's starter in 2025 is "the outcome we want."

Despite that, Adofo-Mensah did not rule out the idea of signing Rodgers, saying:

"For me to sit here and say that anything's 100 percent forever, that's just not the job. We're responding to scenarios and different information as it comes. So obviously things can change, but right now we're really happy with our [quarterback] room and we're going to look to upgrade it in different ways."

The Steelers seem to be Rodgers' most likely landing spot since they have an obvious hole at quarterback, are built to win now and met with Rodgers for six hours at their team facility two weeks ago, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter (h/t ESPN's Brooke Pryor).

Rodgers, 41, spent his first 18 NFL seasons with the Packers, and LaFleur was his head coach for four of them.

With LaFleur as his coach, Rodgers won two of his four career NFL MVP Awards, and much of his success during that time came against the Vikings and other NFC North foes.

The Packers traded Rodgers to the New York Jets prior to the 2023 season, and after missing essentially the entire 2023 campaign due to a torn Achilles, he returned to start all 17 games for the Jets last season.

New York went just 5-12, which undoubtedly contributed to the decision to release Rodgers, but he put up solid numbers given his age and the injury he came back from, completing 63.0 percent of his passes for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

That suggests Rodgers may have something left in the tank, making him a candidate to land with a quarterback-needy team that boasts a playoff roster otherwise.

The Vikings fit that description to some degree after going 14-3 last season with Sam Darnold under center, and there is also a unique link that would make Rodgers signing with Minnesota one of the most remarkable occurrences in NFL history.

Brett Favre, who was the Packers' quarterback when they drafted Rodgers, spent 16 seasons in Green Bay before starting one season for the Jets and two with the Vikings.

If Rodgers joins the Vikings, he will essentially follow the same career path as Favre, going from Green Bay to New York to Minnesota.