Packers reportedly make aggressive push to keep Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay
With just one day before the franchise tag deadline and with Aaron Rodgers' future in Green Bay still in limbo, someone had to take a step forward in regard to furthering progress. Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Packers did just that on Monday. Fowler reports the Packers have offered Rodgers a "significant long-term deal that […]
With just one day before the franchise tag deadline and with Aaron Rodgers' future in Green Bay still in limbo, someone had to take a step forward in regard to furthering progress.
Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Packers did just that on Monday. Fowler reports the Packers have offered Rodgers a "significant long-term deal that will alter the quarterback market". This falls in line with previous reports that Brian Gutekunst and co. are willing to pay Rodgers essentially whatever he wants in an effort to keep him in Green Bay.
At the end of the day, a rich offer is the best the Packers can do when it comes to interests that apply strictly to Rodgers. They've made it clear they're willing to wait until Rodgers decides what he wants when it comes to making important roster decision.
So, what it boils down to -in terms of what the Packers can control- is how much they can pay Rodgers. And based off Fowler's report, Gutekunst is doing all he can.
Sidenote: A market-altering contract is likely to be right at or higher than the reported $50 million per year that Rodgers also shot down. For context, Patrick Mahomes' deal averages $45 million per year, which is currently the highest AAV among quarterbacks. So, that's probably the starting point for the Rodgers camp.
As we've seen over the last few years across the league, there are numerous ways the Packers can manipulate Rodgers' new deal in order to alleviate the cap hit on the front end. So, in the end, the money isn't a huge deal. But it still plays a part in the big picture.
There's still one problem, though. And that comes in the form of the Denver Broncos.
Fowler reported Sunday the Broncos are "all-in" when it comes to a potential Rodgers trade. They have a lot more money than the Packers (like, $62-million-more-a-lot) and the proper draft capital to facilitate a trade. The Broncos could easily arrange a better contract and give the Packers the draft capital they seek. Whether or not Gutekunst pulls the trigger on a trade remains to be seen, but the thought is if he is happy with the trade and Rodgers doesn't want to play in Green Bay, then it will happen.
There's a lot of speculation that Rodgers is set to make his decision on Tuesday before the franchise deadline. The significance of March 8 is due to the logical speculation the Packers will use the franchise tag on Davante Adams. This is so they can buy more time to work out a long-term deal for Rodgers' favorite weapon. This comes even with the Packers' current cap troubles.
Now that Rodgers has an official offer in front of him, we should have an answer on everything very, very soon.
Featured image via-Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
