Ask the Green Bay Packers about how things are regarding their relationship with Aaron Rodgers? They’d say it’s great. It is to be expected. The guy just finished off an MVP season in 2020 and the Packers went 13-3 for the second year in a row. Everything seems fairly hunky-dory at the moment. Yet anybody with eyes and ears can see tension bubbles beneath the surface.
Rodgers has made it clear every time he’s asked that he has no idea what his future in Green Bay is. The Packers drafted Jordan Love in the 1st round last year. A surefire sign they’re thinking about life after him. He’s 38-years old, don’t forget. If that weren’t enough, his contract is also a problem. His salary cap number spiked to over $37 million this year, eating deep into the Packers’ cap space.
Rodgers also reportedly seeks a pay raise.
He is currently the 5th-highest-paid quarterback in the NFL at $33.5 million. The same as Jared Goff. Dak Prescott just got a deal that pays $6.5 million per year more. Considering Rodgers just won his third MVP, it would make sense he’d be seeking an extension. Yet it appears the Packers are reluctant to give him one. Doing so would lock them into him for a number of years more, making their pick of Love look even more foolish than before.
At the same time, not doing threatens to anger Rodgers further. It feels like a no-win scenario. This could be why Rodgers’ former teammate Charles Woodson sees bad things on the horizon. Things could get ugly fast. How does he know? He’s seen it too many times. It happened with Tom Brady, Joe Montana, and other all-time great quarterbacks. It happened to him twice with the Raiders and Packers. The odds of this situation in Green Bay ending amiably is remote.
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.@ProFootballHOF and #Packers legend @CharlesWoodson told The @ZachGelb Show that he believes things will eventually get nasty between Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.
Full Zach Gelb Show chat with Charles Woodson here: https://t.co/nhTQhG0Rwj pic.twitter.com/JzVDoSScak
— CBS Sports Radio (@CBSSportsRadio) April 13, 2021
Aaron Rodgers has no plans to let Packers rest
He may not hold grudges but he has a good memory. The message they sent to him was clear enough last spring with that Love pick. His time in Green Bay is running out. Could 2021 be his last season? The ongoing contract issue is certainly one to watch. Experts predicted as far back as last spring that this year could end up being his last. The Packers can’t keep Love on the sideline forever. They have to play him at some point otherwise their pick will have been a complete waste.
The 2022 season feels like his time. They’ll still have two years left of cheap play on his rookie contract. Enough time to explore if he can be Rodgers’ heir or not. As for Aaron Rodgers himself? His mood could depend heavily on what happens this season. Part of why the drama has been too high is the Packers kept winning. However, what happens if they struggle a bit more this time around?
Losing has a way of fanning flames behind the scenes.
A simple campfire can easily turn into a full forest blaze if losses begin to stack up. Woodson is correct. This situation is a perfect storm of circumstances that can lead to a messy divorce. An aging QB who is still playing well but wants more money. A team that knows they have to think about the future and are reluctant to give it to him. Big egos are involved. Unless one side blinks, this won’t end well.