National Football League

Aaron Rodgers might be a lame-duck QB in Green Bay, like it or not

Updated Mar. 25, 2021 1:42 p.m. ET

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There's a major air of uncertainly hovering over Green Bay this offseason.

Coming off of his third NFL MVP season, it looked as though Aaron Rodgers' future with the Green Bay Packers seemed quite stable. 

Turns out, that apparently is not the case, and his contract is a big reason why.

Rodgers is in the middle of a four-year, $134 million contract extension that expires at the end of the 2023 season, and the 37-year-old had a $6.8 million roster bonus due last week.

The Packers paid that bonus as is, rather than converting it to a signing bonus and freeing up cap space for the upcoming season, according to ESPN's Rob Demovsky.

That seemingly minor bit of contractual housekeeping could be telling.

While that move would have provided cap relief for 2021, it would have increased Rodgers' cap number for 2022 and 2023.

In other words, if the Packers were inclined to move off of Rodgers after the upcoming season, letting the bonus vest as scheduled makes the cap charges for the quarterback's contract more palatable down the road.

But why would Green Bay potentially be looking for a way out of the Rodgers Era? Two words: Jordan Love.

The Packers moved up in the 2020 NFL Draft to select Love out of Utah State with the 26th overall pick, presumably in preparation to take up the baton as Rodgers entered his 16th season in the league.

That move did not sit well with Rodgers at the time, who admitted he wasn't "thrilled" with the organization's decision to trade up for a quarterback.

And yet, Rodgers responded with one of the greatest seasons of his career, leading the league with 48 touchdowns ⁠— a career-high ⁠— a 70.7% completion percentage and a 121.5 passer rating. 

It was a sharp uptick from his 2019 season, which finished with Rodgers completing 62.0% of his passes for 26 touchdowns and a passer rating of 95.4.

Meanwhile, Love didn't see the field for a single down in his first year in the NFL. Plus, his contract runs concurrently alongside Rodgers' through 2023, though the Packers have a fifth-year option available for the rookie QB.

With that in mind, Rodgers reportedly doesn't want to be a "lame-duck" quarterback, per Demovsky.

Nick Wright of "First Things First" said he understands Rodgers' line of thinking.

"I think he wants them to be tied together because unlike so many of these other quarterbacks, he's made it very clear, 'I would like to be a Packer for life. I don't know if they're going to give me that opportunity.'"

Brandon Marshall was left scratching his head why the Packers wouldn't be doing everything in their power to keep Rodgers around for years to come.

"This report left me more curious than anything. ... This dude is coming off an MVP year. Why are we having this conversation right now? ... Why can't you guys get this right?"

Emmanuel Acho of "Speak For Yourself" has a theory, though.

It comes down to a matter of pride for the Packers front office, Acho said. 

"The humble, right answer would be to say, 'You know what? I made a mistake. We made a mistake. We shouldn't have drafted Jordan Love as soon, as quickly or as early as we did, because Aaron Rodgers is still good."

With the way things are trending, Rodgers could be heading for the exit door after the season, ESPN's Desmond Howard said on "Get Up." 

"I think this may be the last season that we see of Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. He doesn't have a problem with beefs. ... Aaron Rodgers is ice cold, man. So, if the Packers keep playing with him like this, and if it's because of them that the contract was not restructured, I believe that this will be his last season."

Unless Rodgers and the Packers can come to a future restructure or contract extension, the writing might be on the wall in Green Bay.

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