Packers Need to Pony up and Pay Aaron Rodgers

If the Packers were smart, they would bite the bullet and pay Aaron Rodgers right now. 

There isn’t normally a lot of significant NFL news at this time of year. But Thursday morning, there was, as the Oakland Raiders and Derek Carr announced a massive extension, one that averages $25 million annually.

You might be asking yourself what that has to do with the Green Bay Packers? The answer is simple, it means that someday soon, the Packers are going to have to pay Aaron Rodgers a boatload of money.

The Carr deal is probably just the start as more big quarterback deals are on the horizon. It was worth five years and $125 million. It contains $70 million in total guarantees with $40 million fully guaranteed.

Obviously, Carr has played pretty well to earn this contract. He has 81 career touchdown passes compared to 31 interceptions. Last year he tossed 28 TDs and had just six picks. If he hadn’t gotten hurt, who knows, the Raiders may have at least made the AFC Championship game.

What  makes the news not so welcoming for the Packers is that Carr is now another quarterback that makes more than Rodgers, the two-time MVP. And while Rodgers started slow in 2016, he finished as hot as he’s ever been.

In addition to earning his sixth trip to the Pro Bowl, Rodgers led the league in touchdown passes with 40, which marked just the second time in his career he had thrown 40 or more. 

Rodgers also posted his fourth-best QBR and had a passer rating of 104.2, plus a completion percentage of 65.2.

What it means is that predictions of Rodgers impending doom were ridiculous. He fixed whatever his issue was and closed the season looking better than ever. Now, he is going to want to get paid and with just two years left on his deal, the Packers should just bite the bullet and do it. 

Some argue against extensions, especially when the player has two years remaining on the deal. But Rodgers is just no other player. He is the franchise and signing him sooner rather than later, could end up saving Green Bay money.

Imagine if Rodgers has another MVP season, something that’s entirely possible and in the meantime, guys like Kirk Cousins and Matt Stafford, get $25 million contracts of their own.

What will Rodgers’ value be then? It’s probably not something Ted Thompson really wants to think about.

Rodgers deserves to be the highest-paid player in the NFL and that’s probably what he will expect out of his next contract. If the Packers were smart, they would make that happen now, not next year when the cost will inevitably go up.

 

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Chris is a sports journalist from Montana and has been blogging about the Packers since 2011. Chris has been a staff writer for CheeseheadTV since 2017 and looks forward to the day when Aaron Rodgers wins his second Super Bowl. Follow him @thepackersguru

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Comments (25)

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dobber's picture

June 22, 2017 at 12:54 pm

To start: I'm always bothered by the need to "keep up with the Joneses" for players who are under contract. Is #12 the best QB in football? Arguably, yes. Does he make gobs and gobs of money? Definitely, yes.

I keep finding myself asking the question, "Why does he need to be the highest-paid QB?" It reeks of insecurity and one-upsmanship. The fact that he's recently started to troll for it in the media really decreases my opinion of him, to be honest. This is a guy who, if he stopped playing now, would likely still have plenty of cash and a long-term income from television work and guest appearances/speaking engagements. This fishing for the biggest contract really smacks of someone who feels the need to compensate for something. Maybe it's nested in his psyche from being passed over early in his career.

Whatever the case, if he's interested in winning games and not just winning pissing contests, he'll take the high road and settle on a compensation package that pays him "enough" and doesn't strap the Packer cap unnecessarily.

In response to the article title, the only motivations for the Packers to re-up #12 now are...
1. ...keeping #12 happy.
2. ...signing him for a number that (as the article states) will only keep going up if they wait.
3. ...give the Packers an out 3-4 years down the road with minimal cap hit if #12's skills go on the skids.

After the 2017 season, the Packers are no longer on the hook at all for ARod's contract. No more cap until the new league year kicks in. The problem is, #12 knows that if the Packers opted out that he'll get more cash on the open market from someone else and the Packers have no proven commodity to replace him. None of that adds up well for the Packers.

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Christopher Gennaro's picture

June 22, 2017 at 01:08 pm

Love the pissing contest reference, pure gold and agree completely. I love that AR plays for the team I love, but for a man that is considered so smart, it smells of hubris. He has so little to prove, but to be the thing I feel he wants, (GOAT) he knows he needs a team.

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Spock's picture

June 22, 2017 at 01:27 pm

Dobber, I agree with all your points (especially the "need" to renegotiate an existing contract early.) However, I'm not sure I'm completely a believer that Rodgers has been trolling the media about his contract. Most of what I've read has been Rodgers (perhaps a little snarky/tongue in cheek) responding to questions about his salary from news media. There may be way more comments out there from QB1 that I haven't seen, so I can only comment on the statements I've read. I totally agree with your comments on why the "keep up with the Joneses". Aaron's last contract was pretty "team friendly" for a QB contract, so I think he recognizes the need to have other players paid to give him the talent for his "legacy" which seems important to him.

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Mojo's picture

June 22, 2017 at 02:06 pm

Couldn't agree more dobber. Is this whole "Arod needs to be the highest paid" stuff mostly an ego-stoke? I get the feeling it is.

Maybe the Pack can get him a coffee mug stating he's the "NFL's #1 QB". Or get him Packers vanity license plates - GB12GOAT. Anything that provides daily affirmation espousing his ascension as the leagues alpha QB that becomes part of the public conversation.

Generally I don't care if he ends up the leagues highest player except, as I've mentioned in the past, the more Arod makes the less they can offer other quality players which equals less chance of winning the SB.

I don't want the Arod era to end with my braggadocio focusing on not how many SB's we've won, but how great it was Arod was the leagues highest paid player for five years or whatever.

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BPEARSON21's picture

June 22, 2017 at 02:07 pm

Dobber... no no no no I just don't agree here at all. The basis of most your argument is asking Rodgers to take a hometown discount to provide more money for the team. Ummmmm have you been around to see what TT does with money..? Exactly nothing. We still have 23 mil in cap space we just decided not to spend this year. Yes Aaron Rodgers needs a team around him but for his entire tenure as starting quarterback he's had a good complete team exactly one time because TT refuses to dish out large contracts to other all-pro players.

You're asking him to take a discount so that TT can keep drafting rookies to throw out on defense and sign cheap veterans...? Don't cry about a hometown discount if management isn't going to spend that money on big time free agents which you and I both know Ted Thompson will not do.

If TT said "Rodgers please take a hometown discount so that I can go get you Aaron Donald and Patrick Peterson" (hypothetically obviously) that's one thing. But he won't, we don't spend our money on anyone other than our guys who earn it (Nick Perry) and mega-cheap old veterans and rookies.

You make a once in a life time player happy and you pay him until he's happy and that's the end of it. We don't have a GM who spends money at all so we may as well pay the one person in our organization whose responsible for 99% of the wins we've had in the past 9 years.

Come on, I know you're a die hard fan, you know just as well as I do TT won't "buy" A-Rod the team he needs. So we may as well make our start player happy. You're giving TT wayyyy too much undeserved credit.

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dobber's picture

June 22, 2017 at 03:33 pm

I guess if you put it that way, I could see it as a hometown discount. It wasn't really my mindset, but I could envision it that way. I see your point and respect it. My question really is: when the money is already "obscene", does it have to be that much "obscener", and when is his cap value more damaging than helpful? What motivates him to need to be the highest paid QB (if, in fact, that's what he wants)? It would only last for a short time before half a dozen inferior QBs in the class of Matt Stafford or Kirk Cousins will pass him on the pay scale, anyway...so what does being the highest paid--likely for only a couple months--really mean?

People keep saying he's going to play to 40 and be a game-changer most of that time, but we don't know that. I'm not sure I'm willing to bet that beyond 36 years old he's going to still have the arm talent, mobility, and durability that sets him apart. He's got three years left where his contract has (by QB standards) become pretty affordable...it might be an unpopular move, but what if TT or the new GM people purport to see coming this offseason rides this contract out and tries to find the next guy in the 2018 or 2019 draft? Maybe TT knows his time is short and doesn't want to hang the new GM on a huge, long-term deal? Maybe it pisses off #12, but haven't we always said that he's at his best when he plays with a chip on his shoulder?

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ChrisPeterson's picture

June 22, 2017 at 02:32 pm

I don't think it's about ego. Just the way it is. MJ was the highest paid in the NBA. Just like LeBron. Brady did take a pay cut for the team but he's the exception not the rule. I agree it's not necessary now. I just think it's smarter. They are gonna do it next summer anyways. Why not now?

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stockholder's picture

June 22, 2017 at 02:59 pm

No way you make him the highest paid football player. His value isn't going to be any higher, then now. You could take any QB in history, and they declined. You could make just as many reasons not to sign him. How many professional athletes never live up to their contracts. A-Rod is getting old. His WRs are about to change. Performance options have to be part of any contract for a player his age. And we all saw what happened when Nelson went down. How many Super-bowls? One! Is A-rod the face of the packers franchise? I say TT could draft his replacement next year. Let's rank the QBs in the NFL today. A-rod is not #1. That may belong to Tom Brady. Highest paid?. I prefer the packers gamble on the draft. MM developed A-Rod. He can develop another. We went through the favre years, and we can make it through A-Rods. A-Rod has always had MM. What if he leaves? Seems your gambling with money that should go to the stockholders.

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hodge555's picture

June 22, 2017 at 03:02 pm

I don't see the Packers touching Aaron's contract this year.
If you re-do the contract now to something like the top flight QB average of $25m/season (I suspect he'll get more when this contract is done) then it will cost $12m extra this year as he's due to get only $13.65m in actual cash, as his signing bonus (which makes up the cap hit of $20.3m) was paid out in 2013.
If however you do the same contract next year it only costs $4m extra as he's due to get $21m in cash both 2018 & 2019. So waiting a year saves about $8m.

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dobber's picture

June 22, 2017 at 03:31 pm

The cap hit on ARod's contract over the final three years of his contract are:
2017--$20.3M ($6.65M in dead money)
2018--$20.9M (No dead money if cut before roster/workout bonuses kick in)
2019--$21.1M (ditto on dead money)

There's still amortized signing bonus this season that needs to be accounted for.

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hodge555's picture

June 22, 2017 at 03:58 pm

I agree on the cap numbers. I was just referring to the actual cash being paid. Since the bonus has already been paid out then AR "only" gets $13.65m in 2017.
Hence if GB redo his contract now then he will get at least $25m (ave), which will cost and extra $12m however if they redo his contract in 2018 then since he was due to get $20.9m then upping that to $25 will only cost $4m, thus waiting a year will save the Packers $8m in cash.

My actual guess as to his new contract in 2018 I think we'll see a 5yr deal for $135m or $140m ($27m or $28m per year average).

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A_Lerxst_in_Packerland's picture

June 22, 2017 at 03:06 pm

As has been mentioned elsewhere regarding resigning players, it takes two to tango. Sure, it would be great to get a contract extension sooner and for as team-friendly of terms as possible. Not sure exactly what QB1's motivation would be to sign a new deal prematurely, though.

I choose to not worry about it. Let's see what the team can do this year. Then we'll see what TT has up his sleeve re: Rodgers.

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

June 22, 2017 at 10:26 pm

AR's motivation is his contract is almost devoid of guaranteed money. AR's motivation is obvious.

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4zone's picture

June 22, 2017 at 04:23 pm

So much for agreements. They last as long as someone's ego isn't bent out of shape. AR will make a lot more money from 'endorsements' as soon as he wins another SB or two. Until then live, by your word, not your ego.

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Handsback's picture

June 22, 2017 at 04:35 pm

Most knowledgeable football experts indicate that Rodgers is the best QB in the league.
You have to pay the man in order to keep the man. When and how will be determined by the bean counters. It is after all a business.

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stockholder's picture

June 22, 2017 at 05:18 pm

John Dorsey parted ways with KC. ( His draft sucked.) Hope he doesn't take TTs job.

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Turophile's picture

June 23, 2017 at 02:05 am

Why do anything. His contract runs through 2019, so the Packers can re-negotiate sometime in 2018. This season is too early, imo.

I'd say the Packers need to pay Linsley out of the $18m+ they have left. They need to make a decision on Burnett and House this year, as well. Whatever the Packers decide, Ted can push a few million into next year, to soften the cap hit on Aaron Rodgers new contract.

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Since'61's picture

June 22, 2017 at 08:29 pm

There is no rush to extend A-Rods contract at this point. The Packers can extend Rodger's contract during or after the season. What if the Packers offer an extension and Rodgers turns them down? Maybe AR wants to play out his contract and see what his market value is. I'm fine with letting TT and Russ Ball handle Rodgers extension. I'm confident that they will come up with a deal that is fair to AR and to the Packers. Thanks, Since '61

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Tundraboy's picture

June 23, 2017 at 07:38 am

Wait a year. 3 years remaining is too early. A contract is still is a contract, but a restructure can be done closer to the end. Happens with Commercial Leases all the time when it is no longer remotely close to current market, and applies to major or anchor tenants. Rodgers is our anchor.

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Tundraboy's picture

June 23, 2017 at 07:58 am

Deleted

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Donster's picture

June 23, 2017 at 07:42 am

Rodgers will get paid. After this season they may renegotiate his contract. Doubt it this season. He will become the highest paid player in the league. FOR JUST AWHILE THOUGH. Then some other team or teams will give a QB a larger contract. But as others have stated above, to much to one player and you have little room to sign good players around him, the ones that he needs and the ones that need to be brought in to help win a title. I believe Rodgers is just a tad frustrated by TT and can't wait for him to get the hell out of GB.

Brady takes less money to keep and bring in better players to keep winning titles. He has many as we all know. His wife makes more money than he does. He doesn't need it. He just wants to keep building on his legacy. Belichick has put him in that position. TT has not done the same for Favre or Rodgers. The cheap bastards way has prevented the Pack from winning more Super Bowls.

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Tundraboy's picture

June 23, 2017 at 07:59 am

Rodgers deserves better than what TT has given him thus far. I am reserving final judgment until end of this year,but then Rodgers will be going on 37 and something has to change.

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

June 23, 2017 at 05:13 pm

To be clear, GB will pay AR what AR is actually worth if he demands it. If he demands top dollar, so be it, our GM will just have to draft well and otherwise deal with it. If AR is more flexible about it, great. I won't think badly of AR if he wants top dollar.

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4zone's picture

June 25, 2017 at 08:24 am

Me with only 6 weeks of paying work the past 18 months and AR making 20 Mil per and that's not enough? Take a big guess what my opinion is on this one...

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LASVEGAS-TOM's picture

June 26, 2017 at 08:19 pm

I've posted a month ago to extend AR's contract now. IMO, he's one of the few players on this team that earns his keep. I could find $30 Million on the team now to pay him that you'd never miss. He deserves to the Highest Paid Player, or Damn Close. Things have changed in the NFL. Compare AR to when Favre played. Donovan McNab made more money coming out of college, before he threw 1 pass in the NFL, than Favre was making. If my memory serves me right, he got $15 Mill, & Favre was still making $7 or $8 Mill. If I were GB, I would try to keep AR as Happy as possible. LVT

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