Green Bay Packers: Latest on Aaron Rodgers contract situation

Aaron Rodgers still has two years left on his current deal he signed in 2013. However, an extension seems evident. When could it happen?

When Kirk Cousins signed his atrocious, fully-guaranteed contract to go to Minnesota, the only thing I could think of was when will the best quarterback in the NFL get the contract he deserves. If a quarterback like Cousins can get a contract like the one he got, Aaron Rodgers must be worth $500 million, right? He is the reason the Green Bay Packers are in contention year in and year out.

Then Matt Ryan, another quarterback who is not as good as Rodgers, got a massive contract extension to make him the highest paid quarterback in the NFL.

Of course, Rodgers is waiting to sign any deal before those two signed contracts. It gave him leverage in negotiations. He knows that Cousins and Ryan are not as good as him. Rodgers also knows that without him, the Packers are not that good. Need evidence for that? Watch the team from Week 6 through the end of the season in 2017.

That’s it for any new quarterback contracts this offseason. That means Rodgers is on deck for a new deal. However, more and more speculation has made its way into the news. Recently, in an interview with NBC Sports Rodgers stated he “wants to play to 40.” He also added this:

"“I just think that number means a lot…  My goal is to be able to move like I do or close to how I do and still be able to do that at 40 … just because nobody’s been able to do that and still move around the same.”"

That would put Rodgers out to the 2024 season. He has six years until he hits the point where he would like to retire. I doubt the Green Bay Packers would sign a six-year contract extension. That means we may have to go through another Brett Favre situation again in the near future.

How much money is Aaron Rodgers looking for?

Well, the answer is not as simple as you would think. Matt Ryan’s new deal makes him the highest paid player in the NFL based on yearly averaged. He will earn $30 million per year with his current contract.

Rodgers doesn’t seem to be looking for a contract to make him the highest paid player in the NFL. He knows that a mega-deal would hurt the Green Bay Packers in the long run. Trying to re-sign key players and acquiring free agents won’t happen if Rodgers wants $35 million or more per year.

Tom Brady understands this philosophy. He is one of the best to ever play. But, if he doesn’t take a hometown discount and asks to get paid the way he plays, the Patriots wouldn’t be the yearly contender they are right now.

A great example of a quarterback taking the big contract over team success is with Drew Brees. In 2012, Brees signed a $100 million contract. After he signed that, the Saints couldn’t retain any of their key contributors and the front office couldn’t sign any big name free agents.

The team floundered for the next couple of seasons. Luckily, the Saints are back in contention again, but Brees lost seasons in New Orleans because he signed a massive deal.

Even if Rodgers signs this huge deal, it won’t be long before he isn’t the highest paid player in the NFL anyways. So what’s the point of signing a contract like that? All it does is take away from the organization to make moves and make the team better overall.

An option for Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers’ front office is to go with a contract that hasn’t been done ever. Instead of signing a deal based on an actual dollar amount. The two sides could agree to a deal that’s based off a percentage of the salary cap.

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Rodgers deal was going to change the way franchise players get contracts no matter what. Now, if both sides agree to a deal where Rodgers is paid a percentage of the cap, that will no doubt change how contracts are negotiated in the future.

For now, though, let’s allow the rumors to continue circulating. It is only a matter of time before Rodgers gets the money he rightfully deserves.