Deal Structure Stalling Rodgers, Packers?

Although the Packers and Aaron Rodgers did not come to terms on an extension agreement by the outset of training camp, neither side viewed that as a key deadline, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (video link). However, optimism exists in Green Bay about this deal being completed before the regular season and perhaps by the middle of camp, per Rapoport.

Rodgers is still believed to prefer a contract that doesn’t lock him into a number long-term, but the Packers are approaching the negotiations that way, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports. The two-time MVP would like more control over his future and may prefer a deal that includes one big payout before a series of player options.

Florio, though, notes the Packers are trying to get Rodgers locked down via “bland and traditional” long-term extension. It’s hard to blame the team for this, since that’s pretty much how NFL contracts work, but the disparity regarding the parties’ preferences on contract structure is halting these talks’ progress.

Rodgers obviously saw how outdated his $22MM-per-year extension, which was a record when he signed it in April 2013, became. A contract that doesn’t tie Rodgers to the Packers for a substantial number of years would help prevent this from happening again.

A holdout won’t be in the cards for Rodgers, though Florio argues that should be a tactic he considers due to his value to the franchise. The ability chasm between backups DeShone Kizer and Brett Hundley and Rodgers is obviously gargantuan.

In a sign that perhaps Rodgers could win out, Rapoport does not expect the 34-year-old quarterback’s next Packers deal to look like Matt Ryan‘s Falcons pact — a five-year, $150MM deal which currently leads the quarterback pack. Rodgers has two years left on his deal, but given his importance to the franchise, it’s obvious he has plenty of leverage here as well.

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