The Green Bay strategist did not negotiate a new deal and the team saved no room below the salary cap.
GREEN BAY – Loose Green Bay Packers they have the contract of Aaron Rodgers last Friday, a source said ESPN and they paid him his $ 6.8 million employee bonus instead of turning it into a signing bonus would have freed up more than 4.5 million under the salary ceiling For this season.
However, they would have pushed that money into future salary limits, reducing the impact of Rodgers for 2022 and 2023.
There were doubts whether Packers they had paid or agreed to postpone the employee bonus as part of a restructuring or extension negotiation.
“It was paid as planned on Friday,” the source said.
It’s a sign that maybe Packers They don’t want to have more dead money than they already would if they continued after this season without their three-time NFL MVP quarterback.
When asked whether a restructuring or expansion was still in the works, the source, who is familiar with the plans of the PackersHe said “possibly”.
Rodgers he openly speculated about his future Green bay after losing the NFC Championship Game to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in January.
Shortly afterwards, the general manager of the Packers, Brian Gutekunst, pretended Rodgers was not only in your plans for 2021, but also afterwards.
However, when Gutekunst was asked if he felt the need to reassure Rodgers then – verbally or with an adjustment to his contract – the general manager replied: “I don’t think I need to do much to calm him down, because I think his playing clearly speaks for itself.”
Gutekunst, however, suggested the possible eventual replacement of Rodgers, Jordan Love, in the first round of last year’s draw. Their contracts are valid in parallel until the 2023 season, although the Packers they would have a fifth-year option on Love by 2024.
Multiple league sources said they believe Rodgers wants guarantees that he will be the quarterback Green bay past the 2021 season and that he will not be a quarterback on his way to the team. The team could do that by adjusting their contract without adding money. The Packers they were able to convert much of their base salary of $ 14.7 million into a signing bonus. That would give them extra leeway below the salary ceiling this season, but it would also increase the amount of dead money they would get at next year’s ceiling if they split.