The once-joyful union between Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets lasted just two seasons before reality sunk in, and the Jets yet again failed to make the playoffs during that span.
Rodgers suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in his first game as a Jet in 2023 but only managed to finish 5-12 as the team’s starter this past year. The 41-year-old leaves the Jets this offseason with his NFL future very much in doubt and has been rumored to land on the New York Giants as well as the Minnesota Vikings.
It would be quite Brett Favre of Rodgers to complete the Packers legend’s arc and end his career in Minnesota, where the front office is reportedly eying Daniel Jones with last year’s starter Sam Darnold expected to join the Seattle Seahawks.
Rodgers’s former Jets teammate, Sauce Gardner, didn’t hold back on his feelings about seeing the veteran in purple next season. On Sunday, Gardner gave a bold prediction for what Rodgers could accomplish in a potential return to the NFC North:
“if Aaron goes to the Vikings, he might be #1 in all QB stats,” Gardner wrote on X.
if Aaron goes to the Vikings, he might be #1 in all QB stats😭 https://t.co/2zuNJr885K
— SAUCE GARDNER (@iamSauceGardner) March 9, 2025
That would certainly be a rosy outcome for the future Hall of Famer.
In his first full season with the Jets last year, Rodgers threw for fewer than 4,000 yards with 28 touchdowns against 11 interceptions, looking like a shell of his four-time MVP-winning self dating back to his glory days with the Packers.
That being said, Darnold surprised the league when he was able to thrive in Kevin O’Connell’s quarterback-friendly offensive scheme in 2024, helping the Vikings go 14-3 and earn a playoff berth. Some may look at Rodgers potentially joining the Vikings as him finally fulfilling the Favre prophecy. Others will see it simply as a desirable situation for an aging quarterback who wants to end his NFL career on a high note.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jets’ Sauce Gardner Had Bold Take on Aaron Rodgers Potentially Joining Vikings.
