The Green Bay Packers are going to pay Aaron Rodgers. It's only a matter of two things: how Rodgers wants to structure the deal and when it happens.
If the Packers have anything to say about it, that deal will be fairly imminent. CEO Mark Murphy, who previously pointed out how enthused he was with the Packers offseason, told WTMJ at the Packers SummerFest event he hopes a deal is done "soon."
"He's healthy. We hope to soon have a contract extension," Murphy said.
The running theory, as noted by Aaron Nagler on the Pick Six Podcast this offseason, is the Packers want to kick off training camp with an announcement of a new deal for Rodgers.
It makes a lot of sense, when you examine the context they've worked in previously with these deals. It also gives the Packers a couple of weeks to hammer out the details of Rodgers contract.
One might safely presume he would like to beat the top of the market, which means he will be asking for more than Matt Ryan, which means he will be asking for at least $150 million, $30 million per year and $94,500,001 in guaranteed money.
Rodgers might be willing to take less in terms of average annual value and total contract value in order to make his deal fully guaranteed and change the way people think about NFL contracts. Think Kirk Cousins new deal -- three years, fully guaranteed, $84 million -- but with more money. Rodgers could even consider going year-to-year with his deal, but at his age (34) and with his injury history (multiple broken collarbones) that would certainly carry some risk.
Also risky: swimming with sharks, which is something Rodgers did this offseason as well.
But despite any of those concerns, we're still talking about the most talented quarterback in the NFL, and a guy who is working on changing his dietary and exercise habits in order to ensure he's able to play into his 40's.
He is going to get paid a lot of money and the Packers are going to give it to him in a pretty expedient fashion.
