Latest Aaron Rodgers contract news is bad sign for his future with Packers

Packers fans might want to avert their eyes after the latest update in the ongoing Aaron Rodgers contract drama. 

Aaron Rodgers will go down as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. Despite getting a rather late start to his career with the Green Bay Packers thanks to the annual “will Brett Favre retire or won’t he?” soap opera from 2005 through 2008, Rodgers ranks quite favorably in many career statistics.

However, his future with the Packers is now in question. According to Rob Demovsky of ESPN, the Packers haven’t done anything to restructure his deal. While converting his $6.8 million roster bonus into a signing bonus would have given them at least $4.5 million of cap space this offseason, it also would have given them future dead cap space.

Are the Green Bay Packers preparing for life without Aaron Rodgers?

For 13 seasons, Rodgers has been the face of the Green Bay Packers. He led them to a Super Bowl win in 2010 and has led them to the playoffs in all but three seasons. Rodgers is a three-time NFL MVP. In case you need to discount double check his resume, he’s a nine-time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro, has led the NFL in passer rating thrice, and has led the NFL in touchdown passes twice.

In 2020, Rodgers orchestrated one of his finest performances, leading the Packers to a 13-3 record while leading the NFL in passer rating and touchdowns. He also won his third MVP.

But at the same time, Rodgers is getting old. He turns 38 in December. Age tends to be quite cruel to quarterbacks, though Rodgers has deftly avoided the pursuit of Father Time thus far. But as they say, Father Time is undefeated and it will eventually catch up to Rodgers.

Ironically, his future in Green Bay could be tied to a recent first round draft pick. In 2020, the Packers drafted quarterback Jordan Love in the first round. The Packers drafted Rodgers in 2005, in large part because of the previously mentioned uncertainty regarding Brett Favre’s future. Rodgers had to wait three seasons to be the starter in Green Bay. Will Jordan Love have to wait that long? Only time will tell.