Green Bay Packers: Expectations for Aaron Rodgers go up with new contract
By Joe Kipp
The Green Bay Packers signed Aaron Rodgers to the largest contract in NFL history on Wednesday. What does it mean for Green Bay going forward?
Aaron Rodgers signed a new four-year, $134 million extension on Wednesday (according to multiple reports) to remain with the Green Bay Packers until 2023. Rodgers’ former teammate James Jones was the first to report the news, as Rodgers inked a deal that ties him to the Packers through his 40th birthday.
The deal includes $103 million guaranteed, as well as a signing bonus of $57.5 million. Rodgers is the first player to eclipse $100 million guaranteed in NFL history, and is scheduled to make $66.9 million by the end of 2018.
All in all, the contract averages out to be $33.5 million per season, which is far above the next highest average of $30 million per year, which is held by Matt Ryan.
Aaron Rodgers new deal with the Packers will be with $176m-180m total, per source. Big feature is cash flow: $67m before end of calendar, over $80m before St. Patrick’s Day next year, $103m practically guaranteed, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 29, 2018
Rodgers himself also weighed in on the record-setting deal via an Instagram post:
"“Thank you to our incredible fan base for inspiring us players to be better year after year. Thank you to the Packers organization for standing by me time and time again and giving me the opportunity to lead this football team. And thank you to my teammates along the way, past and present who have impacted my life in so many positive ways, giving me friendships for life. Looking forward to making some more memorable moments this year, and for years to come.”"
So, now that Rodgers is officially the highest-paid player in league history, do expectations change for the two-time MVP? The short answer is yes, but here’s why:
Green Bay drafted Rodgers in the first-round of the 2005 NFL Draft. 13 years and 94 wins later, the Packers only have one Super Bowl to show for his tenure. Entering his 14th season, Rodgers will have the weight of the world on his shoulders due to his new contract.
Although it seems the Packers have front-loaded his new deal, being the highest-paid player ever comes with lofty expectations. Many teams have seen their rosters collapse right before their eyes after paying their franchise quarterback a large sum of money.
For instance, the Seattle Seahawks enjoyed a spectacular run while Russell Wilson was still on the rookie wage scale. But after Wilson was paid what he really deserved, it was all downhill from there.
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This isn’t to say the Packers are doomed, or that Rodgers is set for a decline. Rather, it’s to suggest that the best quarterback in the NFL has larger expectations than ever before — and he has 66.9 million reasons to show fans why he’s still the best in the league.