Aaron Rodgers-Vikings idea wasn't always a pipe dream, insider says

Aaron Rodgers almost certainly isn't going to end up on the Minnesota Vikings. Kevin O'Connell and company are moving forward with J.J. McCarthy as their quarterback, and Rodgers seems likely to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers at some point.

But it wasn't a pipe dream, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport said on The Pat McAfee Show this week. Rodgers expressed interest in playing for the Vikings, and it was something that was seriously considered by Minnesota before they decided not to pull the trigger.

"I don't think the Vikings were a pipe dream for Aaron Rodgers," Rapoport said. "I think it was, at one point, real enough to where I know he considered it, and I know the Vikings considered it. Because reality is, if you're any team that needs a quarterback and you have a four-time MVP, future Hall of Famer saying 'hey, you're someone I'd like to play for,' you have to consider it. It is your job to consider it, whoever your quarterback is.

"And I think J.J. McCarthy's really talented. More important, the Vikings think J.J. McCarthy's very talented. But at least they had to consider it. Based on my conversations with Vikings people in Palm Beach, based on what Kwesi Adofo-Mensah sold colleague Tom Pelissero on air there, they're all in on J.J. McCarthy."

In recent weeks, both Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and O'Connell acknowledged that conversations with Rodgers took place. Neither came out and 100 percent shut the door on revisiting the idea, but it was made clear that it's not something that's happening anytime soon.

That means Rodgers' options are to sign with the Steelers or try to wait out the Vikings. But even if he chooses to wait — which would have to be until at least August — the odds are that Minnesota still wouldn't come calling. That's why Rapoport said in a recent tweet that "Rodgers knows now that wait would be futile." He expanded on that thought with McAfee.

"I had to think, what would have to happen for (the Vikings) to say 'alright, we're now not in and let's go sign Aaron Rodgers?' Let's just say Rodgers waits, which I don't think he will, but let's say he does. It would have to be like through training camp for them to be like 'alright, J.J.'s not what we thought, we need a veteran, let's go sign Rodgers.' He's not gonna wait that long.

"I don't even think that's gonna happen, because I would bet J.J.'s gonna be really good. So what I meant by 'Rodgers realized that wait is futile' is he realized that if he waited, it probably still wouldn't happen. Him signing with the Steelers, I'm not going to say it's a fait accompli, but it certainly seems like the most likely thing to happen."

Until Rodgers puts pen to paper with the Steelers, the possibility of him donning a Vikings uniform will remain, no matter how remote. But while it wasn't always a pipe dream, that's all it seems to be at this point.