Someday soon, the Green Bay Packers are going to have to figure out a new contract with Aaron Rodgers. But, after the team’s offseason moves of getting rid of his quarterback coach and top wide receiver, some are wondering just how easy it is going to be for the team to hammer out a new contract with the quarterback. Could negotiations get testy because the team’s changes did not make Rodgers happy?
According to CBS Sports , the departures of Rodgers’ old quarterback coach Alex Van Pelt and Jordy Nelson – Rodgers’ top target – could mean that the quarterback is not enthusiastic to make a deal .
“Well, I think right now, the Aaron Rodgers [contract]… is a more a difficult deal to get done. He was not particularly enthralled with the way they handled his quarterbacks coach, Alex Van Pelt, and made it known,” NFL Live’s Adam Schefter pointed out.
The team went on to release Nelson without giving him any chance of staying in Green Bay, and he immediately signed with Oakland.
Schefter says that those moves won’t result in Rodgers doing the Packers any favors since they acted that way.
Of course, things will eventually get done because the franchise tag will keep the 34-year-old from leaving town, and team president Mark Murphy says that he wants Rodgers to spend his entire career in Green Bay.
Packers Fans, my family and I would like to say THANK YOU for your support over the last 10 yrs. We have been blessed to call Green Bay our home and WI will always be a part of our lives. We have many great memories and it’s the people we will miss the most. Until next time…… pic.twitter.com/JnLnkEPspH
— Jordy Nelson (@JordyRNelson) March 23, 2018
Rodgers has already spent the first 13 seasons of his career with the Packers and is heading into the fourth year of his current five-year, $110 million deal. But, it would make sense that Green Bay would want to get out in front and put a new deal in place as soon as possible so it won’t become a distraction.
The quarterback is coming off a season where he suffered a broken collarbone, but he is well worth the risk of another big contract because he is arguably the most talented QB in the league and will most likely be a first ballot Hall of Famer.
There is also the pressure of wanting to win another Super Bowl before he retires, and since the Packers are getting farther removed each year from their last championship, that could be why the team has decided to make so many changes this past offseason.
Rodgers will likely re-sign with Green Bay, and after the Kirk Cousins’ deal in Minnesota, he might land a fully-guaranteed long-term contract. But, fans should get rid of any expectations of a hometown discount.
Other long-term goals for Rodgers might involve his girlfriend, Danica Patrick . He was by Patrick’s side as she celebrated her 36th birthday over the weekend, and she posted a group pic on social media with the caption, “I love getting older!!”
Aaron Rodgers has not commented on any current contract negotiations.
