The Aaron Rodgers saga with the Green Bay Packers totally blew up on Thursday, to the point where it seemed like he was going to get traded to the Denver Broncos. No trade happened, though, and the disgruntled Rodgers is still a member of the Packers.
Green Bay is adamant that there's no interest in trading the franchise quarterback. If no trade is worked out and Rodgers doesn't sign an extension, would the 37-year-old actually hang up his cleats and retire?
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport says this option is on the table:
If Aaron Rodgers retires (to host Jeopardy or just retire), he would have to repay the team $11.5M this year and $11.5M if he remains retired next year — all from his signing bonus. Unless the situation is repaired to his liking, this is a serious consideration, I’m told. https://t.co/kEQwpexqX0
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 30, 2021
Rapoport notes Rodgers would have to give back a good chunk of change if he were to retire, but that simply might not matter to him at this point. He has made a ton of money over the course of his career. If he's genuinely that unhappy with the Packers and wants out, he could just bounce and go host Jeopardy! and ride off into the sunset with Shailene Woodley.
Of course, there's a lot of posturing going on here as both sides try to create leverage. This is just the latest on that front.
When it comes to a trade, if the Packers do decide to go that route, here are some cap numbers to be aware of:
Packers continue to insist they will not trade QB Aaron Rodgers.
Here’s the math if they do:
🏈 Rodgers currently counts $37.2 million against cap.
🏈 If traded today, he counts $38.35M against cap.
🏈 If traded after June 1, he’s $21.15M against cap this year, $17.2M next year https://t.co/nllVKk6it2— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 30, 2021
We'll see who blinks first in this standoff. It's still pretty tough to see Rodgers retiring after one of the best seasons of his career, especially because the Packers should be a Super Bowl contender once again. But maybe he'll shock the world and just walk if there's no trade.
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