General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah didn't totally shut the door on it earlier this week, but for the most part, former New York Jets and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers seems to want to be a member of the Minnesota Vikings far more than they are inclined to sign him.
Things could change, but it's worth wondering how awful J.J. McCarthy would have to be during OTAs for the Vikings to seriously entertain signing Rodgers. It's practically incomprehensible how bad McCarthy would have to be, without pads on, to push the pivot to taking on the overall headache that is Rodgers.
McCarthy's knee appears to be good to go, with Adofo-Mensah confirming as much, and recent visuals show he's back up to his normal playing weight after that became a thing late last season.
While other reporters have been more skeptical, The Athletic's Dianna Russini has carried the water tying Rodgers to Minnesota, to the point it feels like she's getting one-sided information directly from the quarterback or his agent.
The Vikings clearly discussed the idea of signing Rodgers. But a discussion and it actually happening are two different things, and Rodgers should prefer Minnesota over playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers, assuming he even wants to play next season.
Dianna Russini tells Minnesota Vikings fans to come to grips with the possibility of signing Aaron Rodgers
On a recent episode of the "Scoop City Podcast", Russini and her co-host, Chase Daniel, discussed Rodgers. Daniel talked about the potential strained fit for Rodgers in Kevin O'Connell's offense, but overall, he's on board with the notion of the Vikings signing him if they don't think McCarthy is good to go.
As part of the conversation, Russini tried to tell Minnesota fans how to feel about the idea that Rodgers will possibly be brought in.
"I do think there's a world, and I know Vikings fans don't want to see it, whether it's their hate for Aaron Rodgers, whether it's [that] they feel J.J.'s not getting a fair shake, whatever the reason is for why some Vikings fans don't want to see Aaron Rodgers, they have to come to grips.
There is a world that exists, this year, where Aaron Rodgers hangs out, and the Minnesota Vikings pick up the phone, and they make the call. It could happen."
Being the reporter/insider who's most strongly pushing the idea of Rodgers to the Vikings is one thing, and she has been vindicated a bit. But Russini went too far to try to tell Minnesota fans they need to "come to grips" with a "world that exists" where Rodgers is in purple and is in the starting lineup over McCarthy.