Rodgers, 38, is set to keep put in Green Bay after weeks of considering his soccer future following the disappointing finish to the Packers’ season. He has gained the NFL’s previous two most dear participant awards, however the Packers failed to attain the Super Bowl regardless of coming into the previous two postseasons as the NFC’s prime seed.
Pat McAfee, the former NFL punter who hosts a present on which Rodgers usually seems, wrote on Twitter on Tuesday that Rodgers “will officially be returning to the Green Bay Packers.” McAfee mentioned afterward his present that he’d been instructed by Rodgers that the quarterback plans to remain with the Packers. No deal is in place for a new contract, McAfee mentioned. NFL Network reported that Rodgers and the Packers had agreed to a four-year, $200 million deal.
The new contract may find yourself being value round $50 million per season or even perhaps barely greater than that if the negotiations certainly are accomplished as anticipated, in accordance to a number of individuals acquainted with the state of affairs. Rodgers would supplant Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, whose contract is value $45 million per season, as the NFL’s highest-paid participant. Rodgers’s deal is anticipated to be structured in a means that would offer wage cap reduction for the Packers throughout the upcoming season.
Rodgers has two seasons remaining on a four-year, $134 million contract. The deal averages $33.5 million per 12 months. It pays Rodgers about $27.5 million for the 2022 season, when he’s to rely roughly $46.7 million in opposition to the wage cap.
There had been ongoing hypothesis that Rodgers would possibly search a commerce, and he had not dominated out the chance of retirement.
A commerce request would have kicked off a wild frenzy of bidding that would have included the Denver Broncos, Pittsburgh Steelers and different quarterback-needy NFL groups. A retirement determination would have had him strolling away from the sport throughout the identical offseason that fellow quarterbacking greats Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger introduced they have been accomplished enjoying.
Instead, Rodgers is shut to making it official that he’ll play an 18th season for the Packers. He will attempt to be a part of his former Packers teammate, quarterback Brett Favre, as the solely gamers to win three straight league MVP awards. And he and the Packers will try to make the return journey to a Super Bowl that has confirmed so elusive in latest years.
The Packers face a wage cap crunch and should re-sign Rodgers’s favourite receiver, wideout Davante Adams, who’s eligible for unrestricted free company subsequent week. The group may use the franchise participant tag by Tuesday afternoon’s deadline to maintain Adams off the free agent market. Rodgers had mentioned that he had no curiosity in being a part of a rebuilding mission in Green Bay.
But he’d additionally mentioned that he’d had discussions following the season with General Manager Brian Gutekunst and different group officers that had been extra productive than earlier interactions with the Packers’ administration. The thawing of that relationship appeared to set the stage for Rodgers’s return.
“It just comes down to kind of weighing where I’m at mentally and understanding what the commitment is, and then kind of making a commitment and everybody moving forward,” Rodgers mentioned three days earlier than the Super Bowl, when he accepted his fourth profession MVP award at the “NFL Honors” present Feb. 10 in Los Angeles.
Rodgers mentioned then that he didn’t worry retirement however remained extremely aggressive and nonetheless had a bitter feeling from the Packers’ loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional spherical of the NFC playoffs. He mentioned that he’d had “great conversations” with the Packers earlier than leaving city following the postseason defeat.
“Should I come back, there’s things that need to get done, probably, to get the team where it needs to go,” Rodgers mentioned then. “But should I feel like [it’s] my time to move on and do something else, I’ll be extremely, eternally grateful for the Green Bay Packers organization, the fan base, all the incredible 17 years’ worth of memories and friendships and special, special moments that I’ve gotten to share with members of the organization, my teammates, people that work there and the fans as well. I’m just super thankful for every single moment.”
Rodgers threw for 4,115 yards and 37 touchdowns with solely 4 interceptions final season whereas posting a league-best passer score of 111.9. Rodgers performed with a fractured toe suffered throughout his isolation interval following his optimistic coronavirus check.