If the Green Bay Packers are hellbent on retaining Aaron Rodgers for the 2022 season, they might need to make him the league's highest-paid player. During a recent appearance on "The Rich Eisen Show," ESPN reporter Dianna Russini said the two-time reigning MVP quarterback is seeking a new deal that has an average salary in the $50 million range.
Russini also reported this week that Rodgers will "soon" inform the Packers of his decision, and multiple teams have already placed trade offers on the table. At this time, it remains unclear whether the 38-year-old will play for Green Bay, take his talents elsewhere, or hang up the cleats. But with an average annual value of $50 million, Rodgers would surpass Patrick Mahomes ($45 million).
"Very interesting, because I don't envision that coming from Rodgers' camp," former NFL player and current podcast host Ross Tucker told the Reiter Than You show on Friday. "I don't think that they'd want to be the ones to put it out there that he wants to be the highest-paid player in the NFL by a large margin and that's the priority... Getting the message out there he wants $50 million a year, that'd seem, to me, to be coming from the Packers' side of things...
"Almost makes it sound like Rodgers has already kind of decided he wants to be back in Green Bay. But using the leverage of, 'I might want to get traded or retire,' to try to get the money he wants, is really interesting... I do [think he's worth $50 million]. You can almost argue that QB's are still underpaid... Math would probably dictate that a QB like Rodgers is probably worth even more than $50 million, based on what some of these other guys are getting."
Rodgers produced his fourth career MVP season in 2021. In 16 regular season games, he racked up 4,115 passing yards with 37 touchdowns and four picks, and didn't commit a turnover from Week 10 on. Rodgers also stepped up while battling a broken pinky toe, suffered in mid-November. The Packers' campaign ended on a sour note, however, as their offense scored a measly 10 points in an upset loss to the San Francisco 49ers at Lambeau Field.
Currently, Rodgers comes with a hefty cap hit of $46 million in 2022 -- due to contract restructuring -- and if he plays out the season, he'd then be eligible for free agency during the 2023 league year. But, if he chooses to retire this offseason, he'd miss out on nearly $27 million in 2022. It's also worth noting that Green Bay is nearly $40 million over the cap, which is the second-worst mark in the league.
The entire NFL conversation between Tucker and Reiter can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the Reiter Than You show on Twitter @sportsreiter and @CBSSportsRadio, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.