Aaron Rodgers is still deciding whether he will return for another NFL season. But the Green Bay Packers quarterback recognizes something must change if he does play in 2023.
Rodgers spoke with Pat McAfee for his weekly Tuesday visit on “The Pat McAfee Show.” McAfee asked if the $60M Rodgers is owed for 2023 would factor into the quarterback’s decision.
Rodgers agreed that “it’s a lot of money,” but he suggested his contract would have to be tweaked for him to return.
“I don’t think there’d be a scenario where I’d come back and that would be the number. Definitely things would have to shift,” Rodgers said.
“There’s a lot of teams, because of COVID, that are strapped. And you’re seeing with a lot of different contracts, they’re pushing money out in deals. They’re creating certain kind of void years to allow for an easier cap hit. So there would have to be some adjustments for sure,” the Packers quarterback added.
Rodgers did not clarify whether he would restructure his contract or take a pay cut, but what’s clear is that he recognizes the financial terms of his deal would have to change.
Rodgers signed a 3-year, $150.815M restructured deal with the Packers last offseason. He has a $58.3M signing bonus for 2023 and a cap hit of $31.6M. His signing bonus has already been spread out until 2026.
If Rodgers does any more restructuring, his contracts will be counting against the Packers’ cap potentially for several years after his retirement.
For a comparison, Drew Brees retired two years ago and still counted for $11.5M against the Saints’ cap in 2022 due to similar maneuvers.
Rodgers is 39 and has contemplated retirement the last few years. There is also a possibility that he returns for another season but seeks a trade.
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