Aaron Rodgers’ Massive New Contract With Packers Includes Absurd Provision

We’ve finally got details on Aaron Rodgers‘ massive extension with the Green Bay Packers. Last week, it was reported Rodgers would return to the Packers with a big new four-year deal worth $200 million. Pat McAfee, first on the report of Rodgers’ return, trumpeted all over the sports media globe that those reports were incorrect. On Tuesday, we learned that to be technically true as Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero told everybody this morning that the MVP’s new deal was actually three years and worth $150 million.

That’s basically what it is, anyway. There are a lot of insane details with Rodgers’ contract that are difficult to understand. The Packers borrowed from the Saints’ book of salary cap tricks to give Rodgers a huge raise while also, somehow, cutting his cap hit in half for the 2022 offseason. They have void years and a bunch of fake money getting pushed around and something called “large option guarantees.” All we really need to know is that Green Bay will give Rodgers $150 million to ensure he stays with the team for the foreseeable future and then manipulated the language of the agreement so that it didn’t destroy the team’s chances to sign any free agents this year.

There is one important detail, though, that is relatively simple to understand. It’s also puzzling. Puzzling that the team would agree to include this detail. Pelissero noted that Rodgers’ new contract includes an obscenely large dead cap hit if Rodgers retires or the Packers get rid of him after the 2023 season.