Time is running out for the Packers, who have less than 24 hours to use their franchise tag on Davante Adams. It would certainly help the defending NFC North champions if the two-time reigning MVP gave them a definitive answer on his 2022 plans. Aaron Rodgers has said he intends to do so by Tuesday, and the Packers are giving the future Hall of Famer more to consider.
Thought to be torn on a decision to stay in Green Bay, Rodgers has now received an offer Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports would reset the quarterback market. Specifics are light, but the price would come in above Patrick Mahomes‘ $45M-per-year contract. While Rodgers refuted the report he is seeking a $50M-AAV deal, Fowler’s report of a market-altering extension would seemingly be in line with that previous situational assessment.
A three- or four-year pact would help the Packers with their cap. They are currently $27M over; an Adams tag would cost $18.4M. Although teams have until next week to move under the cap, the Packers are cutting it close with their two best players. Rodgers is tied to a $46.1M cap number in 2022, which is second only to Matt Ryan‘s NFL-record $48.7M figure. Rodgers announcing he wants to stay would mean that cap figure would be dramatically reduced. His current $33.5M-per-year contract expires after the 2022 season.
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Green Bay has been rumored to be offering Rodgers a monster extension, and Fowler notes VP of football ops Russ Ball has been in talks with Rodgers’ agent. This comes after an offseason in which Rodgers, amid a feud with GM Brian Gutekunst and team president Mark Murphy, requested a trade. After Rodgers’ fourth MVP season (second-most all time), the Packers would prefer he stay. While they are not planning to take calls on Jordan Love, a Rodgers extension would presumably change that.
It is not a lock Rodgers accepts. Other teams will be willing to pay up as well. One looms in Denver. The Broncos remain in the mix here, with Fowler adding they are prepared to trade necessary draft capital to land Rodgers. The Steelers are believed to have inquired about trading for Rodgers, but Fowler adds the Packers have set such a high price — one that would include key young players as well as draft picks — assembling such a proposal would be difficult for teams to execute.
While the Steelers have an immediate quarterback need, the Broncos have been desperate here since Peyton Manning‘s retirement six years ago. Rodgers joining Denver would, like Manning’s move 10 years ago, vault the team onto the Super Bowl contender tier. The Broncos hold $39.4M in cap space, and Pro Football Talk reported recently they have a trade package ready. The Broncos have been connected to Rodgers for nearly a year, when they appeared on his initial destination list in April 2021. Although Rodgers does not have a no-trade clause, it is highly unlikely a team would trade for him without knowing if he would sign off on the move.
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