(Newswire.net — March 9, 2022) — There is a serious case of deja-vu happening at Green Bay this offseason. Just like last year, the Packers are hoping to secure veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers for another season, and like last time they are courting an NFL MVP winner who has plenty of options to pick from.
They are so desperate to keep hold of the 38-year-old that they are willing to make a deal that would see the 10-time Pro Bowl pick to become the best-paid player in the NFL, and one wonders if that will be enough to convince Rodgers to stick with the Packers for what would be the 18th season.
According to sidelines.io Green Bay are the joint fourth favorites for the Super Bowl next season, sitting at (+1200) alongside reigning champions the Los Angeles Rams with the Kansas City Chiefs, the Buffalo Bills, and the San Francisco 49ers ahead of them in the betting.
Well, if Rodgers didn’t line up at Lambeau Field next season, then you can guarantee they would sink like a stone in those rankings because he is so vital to everything that Matt LaFleur may be planning for 2022 beyond.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes signed a new 10-year deal worth a massive $450 million last July, and the deal on the table for Rodgers would see the Packers pay him $50 million a year.
To be fair to Rodgers, he’s been saying for a while that he won’t keep Green Bay hanging on indefinitely and has stated he’d resolve his future before the franchise tag deadline comes up, which is very soon indeed.
Rodgers has a number of options to consider. Does he think the Packers can challenge for the Super Bowl next season? Does he think his time at Green Bay is up, and perhaps most importantly, are there other franchises that interest him?
Well, on that last point, it is believed that the Denver Broncos, the Tennessee Titans, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are options he’s already considered, so one wonders what will happen next in this saga.
LaFleur, no doubt well aware of the precarious nature of the situation, has promised to give Rodgers his space;
“I told him, I don’t wanna be overbearing and tell him every day how much we love him and how much we want him back,”
“So you just wanna be respectful of his space and allow him to think through everything clearly without being annoying, I guess,” LaFleur added.
Rodgers has also reaffirmed his commitment to sorting things out sooner rather than later;
“There are conversations to be had and a few more things to contemplate, but it won’t be long,”
“I’m not going to hold anybody hostage in this; I’m not going to do that. Obviously, I want to feel certain about it, and, when I do, I’ll make a decision, and we’ll just move on and move forward.”
So will Rodgers stick with Green Bay…we are beginning to doubt it.