NFL Insider Floats Aaron Rodgers to Cardinals Possibility

The most notable connection is Rodgers' ties to Hackett, who was Green Bay's offensive coordinator from 2019-21.

Rodgers won MVP's in 2020 and '21 with Hackett on staff, which ultimately landed Hackett a head coaching stint with the Denver Broncos in 2022 — which didn't last an entire season.

The QB/OC duo reunited again with the New York Jets between 2023-24, though Rodgers was injured in the first game of his 2023. He did play all 17 games for the Jets in 2024 before the organization decided to move on.

The connections run deeper than Hackett, however.

Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur (who oddly enough was fired from New York's OC gig before Hackett replaced him) is brothers with Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, who coached Rodgers in Green Bay for four seasons from 2019-22.

Matt has already been an influence for his younger brother and first-time Cardinals coach, and if anybody knows Rodgers, it would be the eldest LaFleur and Hackett.

There's strong connections in the desert for Rodgers, whose chances of returning to Pittsburgh for another season appear to be slim.

"Always have an answer for what you're going to do," said Hackett on his prior experience with Rodgers.

"I think that, as a coach, if you're going to get up in front of anybody and you're going to talk to them, you have to have the answer of why. And we always say that, but not a lot of guys will kind of test you. Aaron will test you. And I think that made me a much better coach, because every step, every footwork, how you take a snap from under center to how you throw a football to how you hand a football off. How you mesh, I mean every single thing had to be answered.

"And so I always had to have that. And that, again, makes you better. So you have to truly be an expert of every facet of the game, whether it's pass protection, whether it's o-line technique, and so it just made me better and challenged me every day."

Rodgers to Arizona feels unlikely, as he'd probably want to gun for one last run at a Super Bowl with a roster more ready than what the Cardinals currently have.

However, we've seen crazier scenarios unfold in the NFL. And while it's unlikely, this is a league where you can truly never say never.