Everybody knows the situation by now. Aaron Rodgers made it clear he wasn’t returning to the Green Bay Packers right before the NFL draft. This due to his ongoing beef with GM Brian Gutekunst and team management. The Packers aren’t buying the idea he’s willing to sit out the year. So they’ve held firm on doing nothing. No trade talks and absolutely no entertaining of the firing Gutekunst idea. A big reason they likely feel confident he’ll come around?
The team would have legal cause to pursue the $18.3 million they’ve paid him in bonuses going into this season. By sitting out and not fulfilling his part of the contract, they could force him to repay that money. While Rodgers is undeniably rich and can afford such a thing, is he really committed enough to his stance to give up that much money for it? A lot of people don’t think he is. According to Mike Florio of NBC Sports though, the NFL may have just provided the quarterback his escape route.
Without the intention of doing so.
“The letter agreement between the NFL and NFL Players Association from Tuesday of this week does indeed grant broad powers to all players to opt out of the 2021 season, regardless of whether they opted out in 2020 or whether they have been diagnosed with a higher-risk condition since October 1, 2020. Although such players would be entitled to no stipend for 2021, any player who executed his most recent contract before October 1, 2020 can indeed opt out voluntarily, no questions asked as to motivation or qualification or possible ulterior motive.
This includes, most notably, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. By next Friday, July 2, he can pull the plug on the 2021 season. It would be a permanent and irrevocable decision, but he can do it.”
This would basically allow Rodgers to keep his money and walk away for the season. That leaves the Packers with zero leverage. No way to bring him back this season and no way to retrieve the money they’ve already paid him. This puts them in a sudden bind. With this newfound knowledge, they have a decision to make. Do they gamble on Rodgers not having the guts to opt out or do they work to trade him within the next week?
A trade feels unlikely. Green Bay will retain the rights to his contract in 2022. They can still trade him by then, and with a clearer knowledge of what they can get in return. Rodgers has kept people guessing for months on what he’ll do. Thus far it looks like he is committed to sitting out. The question is this. Is he willing to go all-in by opting out, shutting the window on playing at all in 2021? Only he knows the answer and he isn’t talking.
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Aaron Rodgers couldn’t have asked for a better setup
The one thing a lot of experts have held onto regarding why he won’t hold out is the money. There is no way he’d willingly repay a total of $20.3 million on principal. Now? He can pocket the cash and sit at home with no questions asked. Even if he’s not actually afraid of the COVID-19 situation, it serves as a means to an end. Opting out protects his bank account and hurts the Packers at the same time.
This entire plan couldn’t have gone any better if Aaron Rodgers himself were running the league. In fact, it wouldn’t be a big surprise if he likely knew the opt-out option would be available again this year. Whether he intends to use it will be made known seven days from now. Thus far no high-profile player has chosen to opt out this year. That could change soon. If Rodgers is one of them?
Everybody will know why.
It would be one final twist of the knife by the quarterback, and a firm confirmation of how badly he wants out. Rodgers felt a level of disrespect from the organization that can’t truly be understood by outsiders when they drafted Jordan Love. He took that personally. Now he wants revenge and the NFL is handing him the perfect means to get it.
