Minnesota Vikings get bad news from latest Pittsburgh Steelers rumor

The Minnesota Vikings need to add a veteran quarterback this offseason.

J.J. McCarthy was the biggest cause of Minnesota missing the playoffs in 2025 and, as a result, failed to cement himself as the locked-in starting option for next season.

Now, it remains to be seen if the Vikings will replace McCarthy completely, or if they'll simply bring in a veteran backup to push him and serve as an insurance policy.

According to ESPN's Kevin Seifert, "all bets are off" with McCarthy and the team could opt to take the former approach.

Last offseason, there were rumblings that the Vikings were considering Aaron Rodgers, so we would expect him to at least be on the team's radar in 2026.

However, there is bad news on that front, as NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that the "odds are increasing" that Rodgers will return to Pittsburgh.

"My understanding is, the odds are increasing," Pelissero said of Rodgers. "I am told Rodgers has spoken several times with new Steelers coach Mike McCarthy."

"The plan is for Rodgers to take a little bit more time and everyone hopes comes to a decision prior to the start of free agency in mid-March," Pelissero added. "At this point, it would not be a surprise if Rodgers is back in Pittsburgh."

Rodgers returning to Pittsburgh would be bad news for the Vikings, as the future Hall of Famer would be one of the better options available on the open market.

The veteran signal-caller can step in immediately and provide an upgrade at the position like he did for the Steelers in 2025, and that could very well propel the Vikings back to the playoffs.

On paper, the Vikings would have the advantage over the Steelers if Rodgers does consider Minnesota. The Vikings are a better all-around team and they have more attractive weapons at wide receiver.