NFL insider Dianna Russini of The Athletic raised eyebrows when she reported on Tuesday that “there’s no one team that [she’s] hearing that is, in the market, locked in on” pursuing veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers after his divorce from the New York Jets becomes official.
It appears Rodgers is no longer waiting to hear from interested clubs.
On Wednesday, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported that he heard at the NFL combine that “Rodgers has reached out to the” New York Giants.
“The way I heard this specific thing,” Florio wrote, “leads me to believe it’s more likely than not true. It’s unclear whether the Giants would be interested in Rodgers. Yes, he could be better than other options they’ll have, especially if he’ll take less cash in order to stick it a little bit (or a lot) to the Jets, who didn’t want to keep him.”
Last week, Rodgers said he seeks “a good team” that wants him. That was before Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reported on Tuesday that Rodgers “prefers to play for the” Los Angeles Rams if they trade current QB1 Matthew Stafford to a club like the Giants.
Unfortunately for Rodgers and Big Blue, Rams head coach Sean McVay recently announced his desire to continue working with Stafford through at least the 2025 season. Additionally, Los Angeles seemingly isn’t in any hurry to trade Stafford, even though he’s looking for a significant pay raise via a restructured deal.
Stafford is signed through the 2026 campaign.
Rodgers acknowledged this past December that he “just re-did [his] house here in Jersey” and that his “goal was to play a few more years here.” Meanwhile, advertised “good” teams that could have new starting quarterbacks this coming September, such as the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings, reportedly have options other than Rodgers in mind.
On Feb. 14, Steve Helling and Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post reported Rodgers “aggressively urged the Jets to stick with him for another season or two throughout multiple conversations.” The perception exists that Rodgers may have realized there wasn’t much of a market for his services then.
The Giants could sign Rodgers to a team-friendly contract and still take Miami’s Cam Ward or Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders via the third overall pick of the 2025 draft. Then again, Rodgers could decide at any point he’d rather retire than play for a team in the middle of a rebuild.
