Report: Vikings 'never got close' to offering contract to Aaron Rodgers

How close were the Vikings to bringing in former Packers and Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers? According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, things between the future Hall of Famer and Minnesota "never got that close."

Speaking on the Rothman & Ice Show on Wednesday, Schefter stated that the Vikings didn't get close to bringing Rodgers in because "there is a lot of belief in that building" in J.J. McCarthy."

"There were conversations with Rodgers, they never got overly serious," said Schefter. "It was just kind of like, I think the interest was more on Aaron's side, to be honest. He recognized the team the Vikings have, the type of coaches they have, the type of players, receivers they have. And I think that would have been appealing to him."

After his release from New York, Rodgers was heavily linked by many national reporters to a potential move to Minnesota. This offseason, the Vikings chose not to bring back Sam Darnold after a career year, instead electing to dive into the McCarthy era.

McCarthy missed all of his rookie season with a torn meniscus. Because of the injury and outside doubts about his ability this to play this season, the Vikings were a popular rumored destination for Rodgers.

Rodgers, 41, signed with the Steelers in early June, ending the months long saga on his next and possibly final destination. Days after the signing, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that Rodgers "definitely had interest" in coming to Minnesota but the Vikings "saw this as a three-year window right now to win a championship with a really good quarterback they like on a rookie deal."

Schefter appeared to echo those sentiments, saying Minnesota wanted someone to "compliment" McCarthy and that bringing in Rodgers could be seen as "probably threatening to J.J."

"They were talking to Aaron because they were curious if it played out, if J.J. started slow during the spring and worried them, concerned them," Schefter said. "They're fully behind J.J. McCarthy and I think they really believe in J.J. McCarthy."