If Aaron Rodgers wants financial stability in Green Bay, the Packers are prepared to offer it.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Packers are willing to make Rodgers the NFL’s highest-paid quarterback on a per-year basis if he returns to Green Bay.
Rapoport suggested something like a two-year deal with void years to help with the salary cap in 2022. A big signing bonus spread over five years (assuming three void years) would drastically lower his cap number this year while also helping him become the game’s highest-paid player – a fitting financial arrangement for the NFL’s back-to-back MVP.
Rodgers, who turned 38 years old this past December, is still deciding his future in football. He can return, retire or request a trade.
Patrick Mahomes currently leads all quarterbacks with a contract that averages $45 million per season. Mahomes, Josh Allen Allen and Dak Prescott all average over $40 million per year.
Rodgers’ current deal (which expires following the 2022 season) averages $33.5 million. He’s set to count almost $47 million on the cap in 2022, but his cash flow during the year will be just under $28 million. And the Packers need to rework his deal to lower his cap number in 2022 and allow much-needed financial flexibility.
The once-fractured relationship between Rodgers and the Packers appears repaired. The player and team are in a “positive place,” per Rapoport, and the team’s willingness to commit to Rodgers in a significant way provides a clear path for him to return for 2022. There is “optimism and hope” from the team’s side that he will return.
So, considering all the variables in play, this could be the only question left: Will Rodgers decide to retire, or return for one more run in Green Bay?
An answer is coming in the next few weeks.