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The Green Bay Packers haven’t done anything to Aaron Rodgers’ contract this offseason. While there have been a lot of rumors and speculation, nothing has been officially finished so far, likely because this is a complex, multi-level situation with so many moving parts, to both short and long term.
Plus, just because the Packers haven’t done anything with his deal doesn’t mean they won’t. They haven’t needed it so far, probably by design. But options remain.
Here are the two most likely reasons the Packers haven’t done anything to the MVP contract yet, in no particular order:
1. The Packers want future flexibility: Leaving Rodgers’ contract now offers financial flexibility. Of course, that could mean moving on and moving on to Jordan Love at any point after the 2021 season. But playing year after year with an aging three-time MVP and a young first-round pick is almost certainly the team’s favorite option. , especially with three years left on the Rodgers deal. His cap hits nearly $ 40 million in 2022, but his current contract structure saves the team a lot of money on the cap by moving on after next season. Coincidentally, the 2022 season would also be Love’s third, and the team must decide on their fifth-year option after their third season. If Love is the future, the team will likely want to see him play before making the decision on his option. If Rodgers is awesome again, or Love isn’t, the Packers can work on restructuring or extending the Rodgers deal in the next season. The team, with Rodgers on contract until 2023, may want more time to let the variables at the game’s most important position become clearer. And the team might not want to be financially tied to the older quarterback in that equation for more than a few years at a time, copying a strategy the Patriots had once used successfully with Tom Brady.
2. The Packers are working on an expansion: Adding years and a lot of money to a contract takes time, especially for a 37-year-old quarterback who is also the NFL MVP. This recalibration can take months. And we have reports as early as January suggesting that the team were interested in doing something about their deal, so this time gap could simply be the result of the negotiation process between the team and the player. There are some massive new quarterback offers to consider (Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott), providing leverage for Rodgers, but the Packers need to be careful not to commit too much money in the long run for a player. Rodgers’ age, even though he had just had an amazing season. Rodgers could be signed until 2023, but spending years could reduce his successes this year and the next while mitigating the overall effect on the cap, especially with new TV money likely to reach the top. ceiling in 2023. The Packers can be confident. to Rodgers playing at an elite level for several years, especially after enjoying an injury-free season playing in a friendly attack from the quarterback who protected him by removing the ball from his hand in time. Even at the start of his season at 38, there’s no reason to think Rodgers is slowing down mentally or physically. And remember, future Hall of Fame quarterbacks like Rodgers are now playing well in their forties. An extension seems a lot less risky now.
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