Aaron Rodgers could reportedly be open to sign a cheaper deal to play for his preferred destination
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is still under contract with the New York Jets. But since the team has already announced the plans to move on, the veteran is already allowed to talk to other teams and negotiate a new contract. Now, the big question is where will Rodgers play in 2025. One potential scenario is the […]
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is still under contract with the New York Jets. But since the team has already announced the plans to move on, the veteran is already allowed to talk to other teams and negotiate a new contract.
Now, the big question is where will Rodgers play in 2025.
One potential scenario is the Los Angeles Rams, if general manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay end up deciding to trade Matthew Stafford—who is demanding a new deal.
And, according to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, Aaron Rodgers could be willing to even accept a lower salary in 2025 to play for the Rams, which would be his preferred landing spot to keep playing.
"Can the toothpaste go back in the tube after letting a guy look around? Will the Rams be willing to go to a financial level they didn’t before? Or would Aaron Rodgers coming on a cheaper deal (and he may be willing to take one to play in L.A.) or Sean McVay’s ability to maximize, say, Jimmy Garoppolo or Kirk Cousins at a cut rate, appeal to the team when combined with the picks coming back and extra money to spend on the rest of the roster?"
Under his current deal with the Jets, Rodgers is slated to make $37.5 million. But nothing of it is guaranteed, so the negotiation will have a clean slate as soon as Rodgers is officially released.
When Rodgers was traded from the Green Bay Packers to the Jets in 2023, he also took a paycut to give his new team more financial flexibility to build a strong roster around him—but general manager Joe Douglas ultimately failed to reach that goal.
In 2024, Aaron Rodgers started all 17 games for the Jets. He completed 63% of his passes, getting 3,897 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, finishing the year with a 90.5 passer rating. This wasn't exactly close to his prime numbers, but it was still a decent performance overall—and the Rams could fairly presume that it would get better with Sean McVay, and with Rodgers going back to an offensive system in which he played under Matt LaFleur, getting his last two MVP awards in 2020 and 2021.
Money
Matthew Stafford is slated to make $27 million on the Rams this season, so this is the amount of money that Los Angeles has already budgeted for at the quarterback position. Stafford, however, wants more money and more security, since there are only $4 million in guarantees.
If Stafford gets traded, the Rams won’t need to pay anything—the guarantees can move to the new team because it’s a roster bonus. With that cash and cap relief, there would be enough room to sign Rodgers in free agency.
Hypothetical landing spots for Aaron Rodgers: 5 teams to watch in 2025
Rodgers’ tenure with the Jets is over
