For just the second time since leaving the Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers' Aaron Rodgers is set to face one of his old NFC North rivals, the Minnesota Vikings, this week in Dublin, Ireland.
This contest was an easy one to circle when the NFL released the 2025 schedule, but not just because of the storyline aspects mentioned above, but also because Rodgers and the Vikings were closely tied together throughout the offseason.
It seemed almost too poetic for Rodgers to have a serious chance at replicating history by following in Brett Favre’s footsteps from Green Bay to New York and finishing up in Minnesota. But week in and week out, until it was announced he’d join Pittsburgh instead, Steelers fans watched as headline after headline indicated that Rodgers wanted Minnesota, but they didn’t want him.
Pittsburgh Steelers' QB Aaron Rodgers insists Minnesota Vikings chatter was overblown, revenge still in play
Speaking to the media this week, Rodgers poured all the cold water he could on those offseason rumors.
“I’ve addressed that already, but I’ll just reiterate that Kevin [O’Connell] and I have been friends since 2008. ... We keep in touch. He’s one of the guys I keep in touch with,” Rodgers said. “Things never progressed farther than catch-up conversations. And I’ll just leave it at that.”
Taking Rodgers’ word for it, he and the Vikings were never close to joining forces this offseason.
Anyone who plays devil’s advocate regularly will also point out that this is exactly what you’d expect Rodgers to say leading up to the game.
I won’t take a side in that speculation one way or another. What I will do is point out that Rodgers still has a revenge factor against Minnesota anyway.
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Rodgers holds a career record of 17-12-1 over Minnesota, the narrowest margin of any other team from the NFC North. Last season, he and the Jets lost to the Vikings 23-17. Rodgers threw three interceptions and barely completed half of his passes in the process. He also ate three sacks and was pressured on 26.3% of his drop-backs.
Aaron Rodgers vs. Brian Flores @MikeGarafolo is ready for the ultimate chess match ♟️@Steelers | #HereWeGo @Vikings | #Skol pic.twitter.com/99Syvtr6zZ
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) September 25, 2025
Rodgers has already begun to clean off the stink of his 2024 season, but a strong performance against Minnesota this week would go a long way in cleansing it entirely. Plus, knowing that he’ll face the rest of the NFC North throughout the course of the season, picking up a win over one of the top teams in the division would send a statement to the other three.
It won’t be easy with Brian Flores’s impressive defense fighting to crush any hopes of a positive narrative for Rodgers once he and the Steelers return to the States.