Report: Rodgers Seeking New Contract
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Following a bitter loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Championship Game, Aaron Rodgers walked off Lambeau Field feeling “gutted” and wondering about his future with the team.
“A lot of guys’ futures that are uncertain – myself included,” Rodgers said following the Green Bay Packers’ 31-26 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
One way to gain some certainty would be with a new contact. Money talks, as they say, and especially guaranteed money in the NFL.
According to Pro Football Talk, Rodgers is seeking a new contract to update the one he signed in 2018 that keeps him contractually tied to the team through 2023.
With Rodgers questioning where he stands in the Packers’ plans, a revamped contract – or lack thereof – would provide some certainty one way or the other. Or, to put it another way, after coach Matt LaFleur and President Mark Murphy said unequivocally they want Rodgers back, asking for a new contract would be the equivalent of “Put your money where your mouth is.”
Aside from a $6.8 million roster bonus due three days after the league-year starts in March, there is no guaranteed money left on Rodgers’ contract. A new contract wouldn’t necessarily have to add years or money to his current deal, though his $33.5 million in average pay is tied with the Rams’ Jared Goff for fifth-highest in the NFL and barely more than Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins and Philadelphia’s Carson Wentz. Rather, it could turn base salary, which isn’t guaranteed, into signing bonus, which is guaranteed.
If Rodgers’ stellar play this season has ensured he’s part of the team’s long-term plans, a new contract would be a win-win for both sides. The Packers have cap problems. By turning salary into bonus, they could create much-needed cap space for 2021 while giving Rodgers more job security beyond 2021.
Of course, odd as it is to say considering he’s likely to win his third MVP award, the lingering question is whether Rodgers is in the team’s long-term plans. Obviously, trading up in the first round to select quarterback Jordan Love changed the dynamic between Rodgers and the team that drafted him in 2005. With Rodgers returning to superstar status in Year 2 under LaFleur, does the team view its future with Rodgers differently than it did nine months ago when it drafted Love?
The great unknown, at least to those who don’t call 1265 Lombardi Ave. their workplace, is how Love progressed this season. If he showed tangible signs of improvement in 2020, he could spend one more year behind Rodgers before taking over in 2022. At that point, that’s when the Packers would realize real cap savings in moving on from Rodgers – $22.6 million compared to just $5.5 million if a move is made this offseason, according to OverTheCap.com.
