For months during the offseason, speculation about Aaron Rodgers joining the Minnesota Vikings percolated, and a particular reporter would not let go of the thread.
On the Vikings' end, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O'Connell both acknowledged how adding Rodgers was discussed. But when it came down to it, a commitment to J.J. McCarthy as the starting quarterback and the idea of adding Rodgers never aligned.
In early June, during an appearance on KFAN, O'Connell was candid when asked if there was anything he was willing to say about the level of discussions with Rodgers.
"When there was an opportunity — when him and I connected this offseason just to kind of talk about what that would look like — we had a lot of great dialogue about it, but it always was centered around what was best not only for the present in the Minnesota Vikings organization, but the future."
"I was very honest about my feelings towards J.J., my obligation that I felt like we were going to give him the best possible situation to begin and thrive on this NFL journey, and let's see where it goes. We stayed in touch and had some communication..."
"Out of respect for our friendship and everything, that's about as much as really kind of happened."
It's well-known how O'Connell and Rodgers are long-time friends, and that became the bottom line when it came to entertaining the possibility of bringing the future Hall of Famer to Minnesota.
However casual the conversations with O'Connell were during the offseason, Rodgers was probably the one to initiate the idea of him coming to the Vikings. With regard to their friendship, and ultimately as a professional courtesy, it's clear O'Connell took the idea to Adofo-Mensah.
Aaron Rodgers further confirms how far talks to join the Minnesota Vikings got
Rodgers, of course, and as expected, ultimately signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. So that means he will face the Vikings in Dublin, Ireland on Sunday.
During his media availability on Wednesday, Rodgers was asked about the offseason reports and if landing with the Vikings was something that could've happened.
"I’ve addressed that already, but I’ll just reiterate that Kevin and I have been friends since 2008. ... We keep in touch. He’s one of the guys I keep in touch with,” Rodgers said. “Things never progressed farther than catch-up conversations. And I’ll just leave it at that.”
Not that he will publicly say anything other than what he said, but Rodgers has hopefully eliminated any future questions (to anyone) about how close he was to joining the Vikings.