Jeffrey Phelps / Associated Press
After leading the Green Bay Packers with a 13-3 record and a spot in the NFC Championship Game this season, quarterback Aaron Rodgers reportedly wants some clarity and commitment from the team.
According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk, Rodgers wants a new contract on the heels of a dominant regular season that will almost certainly win him his third career NFL MVP award.
The news came after Rodgers expressed uncertainty about his future following the expulsion of Green Bay from the playoffs by Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers: “[The Packers have] many futures of guys who are uncertain – including me. This is the saddest thing, getting this far. Obviously, it will be an end at some point, regardless of whether we go through it or not, but only uncertainty is difficult and the purpose of it all. “
Florio noted that Rodgers is under contract until 2023, but is expected to earn only $ 23.2 million in 2021, $ 25.5 million in 2022 and $ 25.5 million in 2023, which are low numbers compared to what most defenders will do during that period.
Rodgers is fifth among “new value” NFL quarterbacks with $ 33.5 million a year, behind Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, Deshaun Watson of the Houston Texans, Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks and Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers .
While Rodgers is 37, he is playing better than ever, as evidenced by his 70.7 percent completion percentage, 4,299 yards, 48 touchdowns and five interceptions during the regular season.
Rodgers’ elite performance in 2020 came after the Packers selected quarterback Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft.
That choice led to speculation that Rodgers’s days at Green Bay might be numbered, but after he had one of the best quarterback seasons of all time, it’s hard to imagine that Green Bay would part ways with him anytime soon.
The Packers went 13-3 and made it to the NFC Championship Game in consecutive seasons and, although they have fallen short of the Super Bowl every time, they are painfully close to winning everything, which suggests that they will do everything possible to run it in 2021 and beyond.
Giving Rodgers a new contract would be an ideal way to show a long-term commitment to him.
It can also be a good way to reduce the maximum number of team salaries for Rodgers and free up more money to hire free agents like running backs Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams, cornerback Kevin King and center pivot Corey Linsley.
If the Packers can find a way to bring back largely the same team they had in 2020, they have a solid chance to enter the 2021 campaign as the favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.