Aaron Rodgers wants to play his entire career in Green Bay but understands the business, the quarterback told Peter King in King’s Football Morning In America debut column.
Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy wants to make sure Rodgers retires a Packer, saying Monday that signing the franchise quarterback to a long-term deal is a priority for both sides.
“Obviously, he’s an important player,” Murphy said, via Rob Reischel of Forbes. “He wants to be here, and we want him to be here. When both sides have a common interest, you get deals done.”
Rodgers, 34, has two years remaining on a five-year, $110 million deal, but his $22 million salary this season makes him only the ninth highest-paid player at his position. Matt Ryan, Kirk Cousins and Jimmy Garoppolo all signed lucrative deals this offseason.
Rodgers and the Packers haven’t yet found a non-traditional contract idea amenable to both sides. It could mean tying his annual pay to the annual percentage increases of the salary cap, fully guaranteeing the deal or allowing him to rework his deal when another quarterback passes Rodgers as the highest paid.
The two-time MVP and a Super Bowl MVP will get a new deal that makes him the highest-paid player in the NFL. It’s a matter of when, not if.
“Aaron has been great — obviously a great player,” Murphy said. “But my wife says, ‘It’s a good thing he’s the face of the franchise and not you.’ He represents the organization well.”