Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that Packers QB Aaron Rodgers isn’t ready to take the opt-out option by the July 2 deadline and remove all chance of playing in 2021.
A source tells Florio that Rodgers is confident he’ll be able to avoid playing without having to pay any money back to the Packers.
Florio explains that Rodgers could retire before training camp citing general wear and tear as a football injury, then unretire in 2022 after a year away to “rejuvenate.” In that situation, Green Bay might even still be on the hook for his $6.8 million roster bonus.
Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap mentioned last week that if Rodgers opts out, his cap charge would drop from $36.702 million to $6.8 million, savings the Packers $29.902 million. Beyond that, Rodgers’s contract would toll.
Green Bay is in a tough cap spot in 2022, as they’re projected to be over the cap by $35 million, so this kind of cap savings would go a long way for them.
The Packers would also get a full year to evaluate Jordan Love as their long-term quarterback.
Rodgers has skipped OTAs and minicamp up to this point and it remains to be seen whether he’ll report on time for training camp.
The Packers have maintained that they have no intention of trading Rodgers and they expect him to their quarterback in 2021 and beyond.
Green Bay has reportedly offered Rodgers a contract extension. However, the details of their offer aren’t known and it’s possible that a contract alone wouldn’t change much from Rodgers’ end, as there could still be questions about his future with the team.
Rodgers, 37, is a former first-round pick of the Packers back in 2005. He agreed to a four-year, $134 million extension that includes over $100 million guaranteed in 2018.
Rodgers is owed base salaries of $15,050,000 and $25 million over the next two years of the agreement.
In 2020, Rodgers appeared in all 16 games for the Packers and completed 70.7 percent of his passes for 4,299 yards, 48 touchdowns, and five interceptions. He also rushed for 149 yards and three touchdowns.
We’ll have more regarding Rodgers and the Packers as the news is available.
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Packer fans enjoy their team no matter what. Winning is more fun than losing but when uou clme tight down to it, the Packets just provide a wintry excuse to get together and have fun…
Bring on the new!