Rodgers doesn’t list Saints among free agent discussions
04/18/2025
By Ross Jackson
During his appearance on the Pat McAfee show on Wednesday, free agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers was asked to highlight his conversations with numerous teams over the offseason as he looks for his next landing spot. When Rodgers was presented with a list of teams, one went unmentioned in his response: the New Orleans Saints.
McAfee listed the New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Saints as potential suitors and then asked Rodgers to detail his talks.
“You don’t have to lay out all of them,” McAfee said. “But have you talked to all of those teams and what was it like being a free agent for the first time while chatting with these squads?”
Rodgers would then go on to detail his conversation with Giants head coach Brian Daboll, his friendship with Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, and then went on to detail his incognito trip to Pittsburgh to meet with the Steelers and head coach Mike Tomlin.
However, one team that was never mentioned was New Orleans.
Aaron Rodgers detailed some of his conversations with teams this offseason. He highlighted the discussions/meetings with the Steelers, Giants and Vikings but did not make mention of New Orleans or the #Saints in the meanwhile. At least not yet, appearance is ongoing.
— Ross Jackson (@RossJacksonNOLA) April 17, 2025
Rodgers did say that he would not share every detail about which teams he did and did not talk to, so there is still a chance that the Saints and Rodgers have had some level of contact. The Saints could soon find themselves in urgent need of a veteran quarterback if presumed starter Derek Carr misses the season — or leaves the roster altogether.
However, going with a young quarterback seems to be the most ideal situation for New Orleans, rendering the hypothetical pursuit of Rodgers, whose timeline to sign with a team is being impacted by personal matters, less likely.
Eventually, Rodgers will make the decision to either sign with a team or retire, which he acknowledged in his conversation with McAfee was still an option. Until then, it sounds like all options are on the table. While the Saints have been mentioned as a potential landing spot with this situation, at least it sounds like Rodgers wouldn’t break the bank from a financial perspective.
“I told every single one of the teams that I talked to it ain’t about the money,” he said. “I’ll play for [$10 million]. I don’t care. I never once said that I need a multi-year deal, 30, 40 million dollars.”
The bigger issues outside of the monetary side for New Orleans when it comes to a potential Rodgers acquisition is whether or not he would be a good fit for the organization (or vice versa) and whether or not going the veteran quarterback route again would be of value.
If the answer to both or either of those dilemmas is “no,” then the Saints should stay away and stick with what they have in the building or could get in next week’s draft.