Thursday marked Day 2 of the new NFL league year, and the big question remains where Aaron Rodgers will play in 2025. He is still weighing his free agency decision, with the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants as the top rumored suitors.
Rodgers continues to ponder his next steps, but has made it clear he still has gas left in the tank on the other side of 40 years old. As the quarterback dominoes continue to fall, Rodgers and Russell Wilson are considered the two biggest left. Wilson is set to meet with the Giants on Friday.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Giants’ draft situation is interesting. They have not indicated they plan to trade up to No. 1 for a quarterback, but could still end up with the No. 2 QB in the 2025 NFL Draft at No. 3. Wilson visited the Cleveland Browns on Thursday, and they have the No. 2 pick. As a result, New York could be in the driver’s seat with a decision on Rodgers.
“To me, the next sort of inflection point for this one is the draft,” Rapoport said. “The Giants pick No. 3. As of now, there’s been no movement toward them going to No. 1. It is very possible – especially if the Browns end up signing, say, Russell Wilson – that the Giants would have the chance at the No. 2 quarterback in the draft, which really is, it’s not leverage because it’s just reality, but that’s sort their leverage here.
“They could just go, ‘You know what? We’re just going to take one. And if we take one, maybe it’s Joe Flacco as the backup/bridge starter for a rookie quarterback,’ and just roll from there.”
Why Aaron Rodgers has ‘no deadline’ for decision
Flacco also visited with the Giants Thursday as their quarterback pursuit continues. But all eyes are on Rodgers, who’s coming off a 3,897-yard, 28-touchdown season with the New York Jets in 2024. As far as a “deadline” goes, Rapoport said there likely isn’t one – even if people want the saga to end soon.
“So if the Giants don’t get Rodgers, they’re going to be okay,” Rapoport said. “But I’m just saying even though we all would sort of, I assume, like this to be done because we’re talking about the same thing night after night.
“But there’s really no other reason for this to be done at all because there’s no deadline. The only deadline is when we would really like to stop talking about it. And again, much like Joe Flacco, I don’t think Aaron Rodgers cares very much [about that].”