A week after he decided to stay in Green Bay comes the news that Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has made it official.
Rodgers has finally “signed” a contract extension. Most importantly, the deal slashes his cap number in 2022. Reportedly, it drops from $46.66 million to $28 million.
It’s a four-year extension with a pair of dummy years on the back end, aimed at parking cap dollars. Via NFL Media, he’ll make $150 million over the first three years of the contract.
Rodgers quibbled last week with non-existent reports that he had actually signed the deal. He also disputed the reported terms. It’s possible (wink) that the terms were changed to make the initial reports incorrect.
Contract numbers aside, the biggest question continues to be the number of years he’ll actually play. The full structure and terms will shed considerable light on whether he’ll be able to easily retire after one year, or whether a trade (if he decides he wants one) is feasible.
The sky-high cap number gave Rodgers the leverage to demand the same flexibility he had this year. Basically, the power to decide whether to quit playing or to seek a fresh start, each and every year.
For now, we know that this year he’ll be a Packer. He possibly will decide after this year to move on.