Aaron Rodgers said he was “uncertain” about his future after the Green Bay Packers lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Championship game on Sunday. And while he clarified the comments on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday, the message might have meant a little more than reported. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Rodgers is looking to get a new contract with the Packers. The two-time MVP signed a contract extension in 2018, which was a four-year $134 million deal.
Rodgers is currently signed through the 2023 season. He’s currently making $33.5 million per year but is set to make $22.35 million in 2021, $25.5 million in 2022, and $25.5 million in 2023. Florio mentions that Rodgers ranks fifth and average money-new value and earns the same amount as Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff, making Rodgers “grossly underpaid.”
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When Rodgers talked about his future after Sunday’s game, experts thought he would be leaving the Packers sooner than later. “A lot of guys’ futures that are uncertain, myself included,” Rodgers said. “That’s what’s sad about it most. Getting this far. Obviously, there’s going to be an end to it at some point whether we make it past this one or not. Just the uncertainties is tough and the finality of it.” When Rodgers explained his comments on The Pat McAfee Show, he said he expects to be back next year, but nothing is certain in the NFL.
“After the season that I had, potentially winning MVP, and we obviously made another good run, I don’t think that there’s any reason why I wouldn’t be back,” Rodgers said. “But there’s not many absolutes, as you guys know, in this business. To make an absolute statement about something that is not an absolute, I didn’t do it. I guess that’s why it went kinda nuts.”
Rodgers will likely win the MVP award this year after as he threw for 4,299 yards, 48 touchdowns and just five interceptions. But with Rodgers being 37 years old, it’s unlikely he will get a Patrick Mahomes-type deal. However, the Packers know how valuable he is. Team president Mark Murphy told The 5th Quarter of WNFL: “We’re not idiots. Aaron Rodgers will be back. He’s our leader,”
