While Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has not come to a decision as of yet regarding if plans to continue his NFL playing career in 2023, or if that will be in Green Bay, he said he would be open to re-working the deal should he play next season.
Rodgers spoke about the business side of his return during his weekly appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, acknowledging that his current contract may no longer be viable for the Packers, or any other team for that matter.
As part of his three-year, $150 million contract extension that Rodgers inked with the Packers back in March of 2022, Rodgers has $59.465 million guaranteed if he plays in 2023 and carries a salary-cap charge of $31,623,570 for next season.
“There’s a lot of teams, because of COVID, that are strapped, and you’re seeing with a lot of different contracts, they’re pushing more money out in deals,” Rodgers said during the show (h/t ESPN). “They’re creating void years to allow for an easier cap hit, so there would have to be some adjustments, for sure.”
“All the other ideas about [a] trade and whatnot, that’s all conjecture until I decide what I want to do moving forward for myself,” Rodgers said. “I hope there’s some gratitude on both sides if that happens,” Rodgers continued. “But again, that doesn’t open the door for any conjecture, honestly, on my side. And I’m not saying that to be cryptic. I’ve got to figure out what I want to do, and then we’ll see where all the parties at and what kind of transpires after that.”
While Rodgers said last year that he planned on finishing his career with the Packers, the door is open for Rodgers to suit up elsewhere.
“If they feel like it was in the best interests of the team to move forward, so be it,” Rodgers said. “Again, that wouldn’t offend me, and it wouldn’t make me feel like a victim. I wouldn’t have any animosity towards the team. I love the organization, I love the city, I love the region. I’m a minority owner in the [Milwaukee] Bucks; I’m going to be a part of the region long after I’m done playing. I have a lot of love for what’s gone on in Green Bay. And I’d love to finish there, I would. I might have finished there. Who knows?”
“What’s the old adage that people want to say? ‘Oh, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side,'” Rodgers said. “And I always say, ‘The grass is green where you water it.’ I think that’s the most important thing to remember. Change is a part of this business, it’s a part of life, and I think being open to it and embracing whatever that change looks like is an important part of coming to peace with whatever decision lies ahead of you. I think that’s the most important kind of peace I want to get to is mentally feeling good about where I’m at. If I want to hang it up and do that, having the peace to do that.”
