According to the team’s official website, the Packers have signed quarterback Aaron Rodgers to a multi-year contract extension.
The move was announced Friday by Packers general manager Ted Thompson. Rodgers is now the highest paid player in league history after signing a five-year extension worth $110 million. Reports are that the contract calls for Rodgers to be paid 40 million in the first year and 62.5 million in the first three years (500K more than Joe Flacco). His salary cap number will never exceed 21M.
“Aaron is a true professional and a special player,” Thompson said, per Packers.com. “He works hard, is humble, and is focused on his actions, on and off the field. He is an excellent teammate and pushes himself and others to be the very best. We are happy to reach an agreement to extend his career with the Packers.”
Rodgers had two years remaining on his previous deal, but the new contract will keep him in Green Bay for the foreseeable future.
Thompson spent his first draft pick as Packers general manager on Rodgers, the No. 24 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. After sitting behind Brett Favre for three years, Rodgers took over as the team’s starting quarterback in 2008.
In his first season as the starter, Rodgers threw for 4,038 yards, 28 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. His 93.8 passer rating was the lowest of his career, as he’s posted a rating of at least 101.2 in each of the past four seasons.
Widely regarded as the best quarterback in the league today, Rodgers was the MVP of Super Bowl XLV. He was named league MVP for the 2011 season.
When the Favre retirement fiasco went down in the summer of 2008, some fans were heckling Rodgers in hopes of the team bringing Favre back for another season. But Thompson and Mike McCarthy stood firm in their decision and remained fully committed to Rodgers.
And the rest is history.
During the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday, Rodgers tweeted to West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith, “Good things come to those who wait.” It appears Rodgers was absolutely right.
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Marques is a Journalism student, serving as the Sports Editor of UW-Green Bay\'s campus newspaper The Fourth Estate and a Packers writer at Jersey Al\'s AllGBP.com. Follow Marques on Twitter @MJEversoll.
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Have to wait for the details. That’s what’s important. This was on the verge of happening for a long time. Congrats to Rodgers!
Guessing 22.5M per or a shade under. Probably more than 21M.
Best draft day news possible!
5 years 110 million.
Boom goes the cap space.
Nothing the Packers could do. And it’s not without merit, he is the best player in the NFL. But it is against the best interest of the Packers.
That’s the extension. Added to the 2 yrs and 20M that he had remaining. In essence that makes it 7 yrs and 140M. Bout the same as Brees/Flacco. Which makes it a relative bargain.
Have to see the breakdown of cap allocation for each year.
Yeah, don’t know them either.
I find 2 things funny:
1) This is the 8th year anniversary of his selection, or more properly, of his sitting in the green room waiting to be picked.
2) He will make 500.000 more than Flacco.
To me it shows the ego of Rodgers, in this day he is made the highest paid player in the NFL.
However, it being just 500.000 more is a compromise of sorts. And I trully believe, as with most Packers’ contracts (except for Hawk), to be cap friendlier (as can be).
Still, it is taking away cap money, and he wasn’t hitting FA anytime soon…
The fact he wasn’t near FA is whats keeping the money in the Flacco/Brees range overall. Either way he’s still the highest paid QB/player, which he deserves, and that’s more important than how much higher paid.
Sounded like they met in the middle on the extension. IIRC, Pack offered 21M on extension and Rodgers wanted 23 or so.
Just heard on ESPN his cap hit is never more than 21M. That must mean its very evenly distributed over the 7 years.
Great News.
Here’s some perspective. AR is 29 years old. Using 76 as the average mortality age of an American male, that equates to 17,155 days in the remaining 47 years that AR will inhabit the earth. If he plays out the entirity of his contact, he’ll have the pleasure of waking up to a metaphorical stack of 64 $100 bills each and every day for the rest of his life.
Cool.
You forgot about taxes.
Please, don’t forget about taxes! I am a teacher:)