Aaron Rodgers has said he will take some time before deciding if he wants to play in 2023 and do so for the Green Bay Packers, but it sounds like the team may not want him back.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter said Sunday that he has spoken with NFL sources who are “convinced” that the Packers would prefer to move on from Rodgers. Those same sources believe Rodgers is well aware of the team’s preference.
Rodgers has spoken openly over the past two weeks about the possibility of him leaving the Packers. He told “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday that there would be no hard feelings if the Packers were ready to turn things over to Jordan Love. Rodgers also acknowledged that there would have to be one significant change for him to play for Green Bay again next season.
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.
The problem with a potential restructure is Rodgers’ contracts will be counting against the Packers’ cap potentially for several years after his retirement. For comparison, Drew Brees retired two years ago and still counted for $11.5M against the Saints’ cap in 2022 due to similar maneuvers.
That is likely a huge factor in the belief that the Packers would prefer to move on from Rodgers. They do not have enough salary cap space to make significant improvements in free agency, and they were nowhere near Super Bowl contention this season. If they can trade Rodgers and acquire high draft picks while also getting out from under his contract, that might be an appealing solution.
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