Aaron Rodgers Seeking $90MM Guaranteed Over Two Years
We heard earlier this week that the Packers offered Aaron Rodgers a two-year extension that would have made him the highest-paid player in NFL history. That report, from ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, was light on details, and as our Zachary Links suggested at the time, it’s difficult to know exactly what kind of money Rodgers was really turning down.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk offers a little more context. While Florio does not know the details of the Packers’ reported offer, he does shed some light on what Rodgers is looking for. According to Florio’s sources, Rodgers wants $90MM in guaranteed money over a two-year period. The $45MM average annual value would put him on an even footing with the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, but more importantly, Green Bay would have to structure the deal in such a way that it would have no choice but to keep Rodgers through at least 2022 and perhaps through 2023.
As it currently stands, Rodgers is signed through 2023, but the Packers could theoretically cut him next offseason and save $22.7MM against the cap. They’d be left with $17.2MM in dead money, but that wouldn’t cripple them cap-wise, especially since the cap is set to increase next year. Jordan Love, with multiple years to go on his original rookie deal, would be significantly cheaper.
Although it has been said at various points throughout this saga that Rodgers is not necessarily motivated by money, the money that he’s reportedly seeking would be one way to achieve his goal of leaving Green Bay when he’s ready to leave, and not when the Packers deem Love to be ready to take the reins.
Between Rodgers and Davante Adams, the Packers are dealing with a lot of disgruntled star power. That is not a good place for any team to be in on the cusp of training camp, but especially a team that has a roster capable of contending for a title.
Latest On Aaron Rodgers, Packers
A big week for Packers news, coming in advance of Monday’s annual franchise shareholders meeting, naturally centers on Aaron Rodgers. The Packers report to training camp Tuesday, and nothing about the reigning MVP’s offseason points to him being on the field.
Rodgers has continued to train as if he will play in 2021, however. Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari shared a photo of he and Rodgers working out this week at Proactive Sports Performance in California (h/t Fox 6’s Lily Zhao). A Proactive Sports Performance representative also said, via ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, that Rodgers is “working and he’s ready” for the season.
[RELATED: No Packers-Rodgers Resolution Expected Until Training Camp]
Rodgers’ desire not to play for the Packers again has become fairly clear. He missed OTAs for the first time in his career and skipped minicamp. The Packers, however, retain his rights and have budged from their stance against a trade. This staring contest is set to push into camp, and Las Vegas has made some interesting adjustments regarding the Packers and NFC North.
The Westgate SuperBook closed its NFC North betting, and two other Vegas sportsbooks revealed to SI.com’s Bill Huber the expectation is Rodgers will announce his retirement before the Packers report to camp. The 37-year-old quarterback was linked to retirement early in this impasse, and the move would remind of Carson Palmer‘s 2011 retirement — a move the then-31-year-old passer made to force the Bengals’ hand. That play ended up working, though Cincinnati kept Palmer in retirement until the trade deadline that October.
Any Rodgers trade package would surpass what the Bengals collected for Palmer — a 2012 first-round pick and a 2013 second-rounder — but the Packers have held firm for months here. So has Rodgers, who turned down a deal that would have (again) made him the NFL’s highest-paid player. Although it is not known how that proposed extension was to be structured, this standoff is not believed to be financially motivated.
The team is winding down its most turbulent offseason since at least 2008, with Davante Adams‘ ending extension talks this week adding to this drama. While Packers teammates believe Rodgers will be with them this season, per Pro Football Focus’ Doug Kyed, his holdout stands to intensify Tuesday.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/24/21
Here are Saturday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the day:
Denver Broncos
- Placed on active/PUP list: CB Essang Bassey, LB Baron Browning, CB Duke Dawson
Green Bay Packers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Ray Wilborn
- Placed on active/PUP list: RB Patrick Taylor
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Chris Claybrooks
Kansas City Chiefs
- Placed on NFL list: DE Malik Herring
- Placed on active/PUP list: DB Armani Watts
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: TE De’Quan Hampton
- Placed on active/PUP list: TE Cameron Brate, WR Justin Watson
Tennessee Titans
- Placed on NFI list: C Aaron Brewer
- Placed on active/PUP list: RB Jeremy McNichols, OT Ty Sambrailo
Za’Darius Smith Frustrated With Contract?
While the Packers not restructuring Aaron Rodgers‘ contract provided one of many Rodgers-saga highlights this offseason, they did adjust Za’Darius Smith‘s deal in order to create cap space. The Pro Bowl pass rusher is believed to be bothered by the fallout from this move.
Going into his third Green Bay season, Smith is disappointed with his Packers contractual status, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes. The Packers exercised an automatic conversion clause in Smith’s deal in March, creating around $8MM in cap space after the team gave Aaron Jones a $12MM-per-year deal. Smith did not realize the implications of this clause, which allowed the Packers to convert base salary to signing bonus money without his go-ahead.
The restructure moved money onto next year’s Packers cap sheet, and Smith is now set to carry a $28.1MM cap charge in 2022. That lofty figure increases the likelihood Smith will be a cap casualty or a trade piece, though given Smith’s production and the fact his contract expires after the 2022 season, a Packers extension would seem to be in play as well. However, the soon-to-be 29-year-old rusher is also irked at the Packers for not paying out his new bonus in March, Florio adds. The team will instead pay it in installments throughout the season, making this new structure similar to a base salary.
The Packers are bringing back Za’Darius and Preston Smith for a third season, doing so despite the latter lagging well behind the former in terms of production. Za’Darius Smith has recorded 26 sacks in two Packers seasons — eight more than his four-year Ravens total — and has not missed a game. Rashan Gary can be controlled on his rookie deal through the 2023 season, giving Green Bay a talented trio of pass rushers.
Za’Darius’ frustration comes at a turbulent time for the Packers, who have failed to patch things up with Rodgers this year. Green Bay’s extension talks with Davante Adams also broke down this week. This will certainly be an interesting stretch for the two-time reigning NFC North champs.
Latest On Packers OT David Bakhtiari
David Bakhtiari‘s 2020 campaign came to an end when he suffered a torn ACL in late December.While the All-Pro offensive lineman naturally wants to be in the lineup for Week 1, he acknowledged that he’s more focused on getting back to full health.
“This is my first time going through this, so I’m just going to attack every day, try to hit every benchmark I can,” Bakhtiari said (via Jason Wilde of the Wisconsin State Journal). “And once ‘Doc’ can check me off, I can check myself and I can go out there and not only perform and protect myself but perform at the level that the Packers need me to, I think that’s where you’ll see me return, on that date.”
The start of the 2021 season will mark about eight months since the All-Pro lineman suffered the injury, which would definitely be a bit quick for a return from an ACL injury. The Packers surely wouldn’t want to do anything to compromise the health of the three-time Pro Bowler and five-team All Pro (including two first-team nods), especially following another successful season in 2020 where he ranked as the second overall offensive tackle by Pro Football Focus.
Plus, besides preserving the future health of one of their best players, the team also invested some big money in keeping Bakhtiari in Green Bay. Back in November, the team signed the 29-year-old to a whopping four-year, $92MM contract, making him one of the highest-paid linemen in league history. Both sides slightly reworked that contract earlier this offseason, but the move merely pushed some money down the road, helping the Packers’ 2021 cap sheet.
Assuming Bakhtiari is sidelined for the start of the 2021 season, the Packers have a handful of options that they could turn to at left tackle. Billy Turner played both tackles spots in 2020, and he’ll presumably start at one of the two positions to begin the season. Opposite him, the team could temporarily turn to the likes of fourth-round rookie Royce Newman or fifth-round rookie Cole Van Lanen.
Packers Sign Third-Round WR Amari Rodgers, Finalize Draft Class
Ahead of their training camp, the Packers will have their rookie contingent signed up. For several weeks, Amari Rodgers resided as the lone unsigned Packer draftee. The team changed that Friday, inking its third-round wide receiver pick to the standard four-year rookie deal.
A Clemson product who played a key role on each of the Tigers’ three Trevor Lawrence-led teams, Rodgers continues the line of Green Bay Day 2 receiver investments. However, the Packers have not taken a Day 2 wideout since Ty Montgomery — whom the team reconverted to running back early in his career — in 2015. Green Bay has experienced success with second- or third-round receiver picks during the Aaron Rodgers era — Davante Adams, Randall Cobb, Jordy Nelson, James Jones, dating back to 2007 — and selected Amari Rodgers at a crucial juncture on its timeline.
The Packers have major questions about the status of their passing attack. Aaron Rodgers remains AWOL, having turned down an extension offer that would have made him the NFL’s highest-paid player again. The disgruntled quarterback has not shown for Packers workouts this offseason and is not expected to report to camp on time. Adams has also become frustrated with the franchise, breaking off extension talks ahead of his contract year.
Green Bay will be deeper at receiver this season, however. Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Allen Lazard remain under contract, and 2020 free agency add Devin Funchess — a COVID-19 opt-out last year — is back in the fold.
A 5-foot-9 slot cog at Clemson, Amari Rodgers should add some juice to this aerial attack. With Tee Higgins leaving early for the NFL and Justyn Ross out for the season with an injury, Rodgers led Clemson in receiving last season en route to becoming this year’s No. 85 overall pick. He finished with 1,020 yards in 12 games, surpassing his combined total from the 2018 and ’19 seasons.
While it remains uncertain if a Rodgers-Rodgers connection will materialize, the Packers have the makings of an improved receiving corps in 2021. Here is how Green Bay’s draft class breaks down going into camp:
Round 1: No. 29 Eric Stokes, CB (Georgia) (signed)
Round 2: No. 62 Josh Myers, C (Ohio State) (signed)
Round 3: No. 85 (from Titans) Amari Rodgers, WR (Clemson) (signed)
Round 4: No. 142 Royce Newman, OG (Ole Miss) (signed)
Round 5: No. 173 Tedarrell Slaton, DT (Florida) (signed)
Round 5: No. 178 Shemar Jean-Charles, CB (Appalachian State) (signed)
Round 6: No. 214 Cole Van Lanen, G (Wisconsin) (signed)
Round 6: No. 220 Isaiah McDuffie, LB (Boston College) (signed)
Round 7: No. 256 Kylin Hill, RB (Mississippi State) (signed)
Packers, Davante Adams End Talks
The Packers and wide receiver Davante Adams have ended their long-term extension talks (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). There are no current plans to resume them, putting the Packers star on course for free agency after the 2021 season. 
The two sides have been talking for months now, but they’ve made little in the way of progress. Rapoport hears that things are “now in a bad place,” so the Packers have now rankled both Adams and quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Adams has been pushing to be the league’s highest-paid wide receiver, or something close to it. However, the Packers’ latest offer would have left him shy of DeAndre Hopkins, who holds the top spot with $27.25MM per year on average. Titans receiver Julio Jones is (a distant) second to him with a $22MM AAV. Adams, meanwhile, signed his extension before the WR market ballooned in 2018. As it stands, he’s just the NFL’s 18th-highest-paid receiver with $14.5MM on average.
Adams won’t turn 29 until December and he ranks as one of the NFL’s premier wideouts. The Packers, to their credit, did well to lock Adams down before he had compiled a 1,000-yard season. Now, the Fresno State alum has two 1,000-yard campaigns and a 997-yard 2019, a season in which he played just 12 games. Last year, Adams led the NFL with 98.1 receiving yards per game.
QB Tommy Stevens Trying Out For Packers As TE
Yet another player is attempting a position change to tight end. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that quarterback Tommy Stevens is auditioning for the Packers next week as a tight end. Defensive back Rashard Robinson and nose tackle Sterling Johnson will also be working out for the team.
Stevens was in and out of the lineup during his time at Penn State and Mississippi State, but he showed promise both with his arm and on the ground. Thanks to that potential, he was drafted by the Saints in the seventh round of the 2020 draft…but the team chose the prospect as a tight end. So, while we’ve seen the likes of Tim Tebow and Jordan Matthews attempt their own changes to tight end, Stevens already has a bit of experience at the position.
Stevens didn’t end up making New Orleans’ active roster, but he did stick around their practice squad for most of the campaign. He later caught on with the Panthers (as a quarterback), and he ended up making his NFL debut in Carolina’s Week 17 loss to the Saints. Stevens got four carries in that game for 24 rushing yards.
If the 24-year-old gets a deal, he’ll still have an uphill battle to make the Packers roster. The top of the team’s depth chart features Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis, and Jace Sternberger, meaning Stevens would be competing with the likes of Josiah Deguara, Isaac Nauta, Dominique Dafney, and Bronson Kaufusi for a final roster spot.
Robinson, a former fourth-round pick, has seen time in 42 games across five seasons in the NFL. After spending his first two seasons split between the 49ers and Jets, the defensive back ended up sitting out the 2019 season thanks (in part) to a 10-game suspension. The 25-year-old caught on with the Cowboys in 2020, seeing time in four games (three starts) and finishing with 20 tackles.
The 6-foot-4, 285-pound Johnson went undrafted in 2020. He spent time with the Jets and Steelers over the past year-plus.
Aaron Rodgers Declines Packers’ Offer
The Packers offered Aaron Rodgers a two-year extension that would have tied him to Green Bay for five more seasons (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). The deal would have made him the highest-paid player in the league, Schefter hears, but Rodgers declined. 
Of course, there are a million ways to measure contracts in the NFL — guarantees and cash flow are the things that really matter. That’s especially true when it comes to the Packers, who like to put the bulk of a player’s guarantees in the signing bonus.
For now, Rodgers is signed through 2023, but the Packers could theoretically cut him next offseason and save $22.7MM against the cap. They’d be left with $17.2MM in dead money, but that wouldn’t cripple them cap-wise, especially since the cap is set to increase next year. Jordan Love, with multiple years to go on his original rookie deal, would be significantly cheaper.
With training camp just one week away, it doesn’t sound like the Packers will have their MVP quarterback on the field. Rodgers, 37, continues to insist on a trade and a fresh start elsewhere. The Packers, meanwhile, have refused to budge.
2021 Cap Space For All 32 NFL Teams
There are still plenty of quality free agents left on the board as we look ahead to training camp. Cornerback Steven Nelson, tackle Russell Okung, and longtime Legion of Boom leader Richard Sherman headline the list, along with accomplished edge rushers like Justin Houston, Melvin Ingram, and Olivier Vernon. That list will only grow larger, of course, as more teams shed veterans to redirect their funds elsewhere.
With that in mind, here’s a look at every NFL team’s cap situation, starting with the league-leading Jaguars:
- Jacksonville Jaguars — $32.7MM
- Denver Broncos — $28.9MM
- New York Jets — $28.5MM
- Cleveland Browns — $20.6MM
- Los Angeles Chargers — $19.9MM
- Detroit Lions — $17.9MM
- San Francisco 49ers — $17.8MM
- Cincinnati Bengals — $17.4MM
- Washington Football Team — $16.7MM
- Indianapolis Colts— $14.3MM
- Carolina Panthers— $14.3MM
- Minnesota Vikings — $13.5MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers — $13.1MM
- New England Patriots — $13.1MM
- New Orleans Saints — $11.4MM
- Arizona Cardinals — $11.3MM
- Buffalo Bills — $10.5MM
- Baltimore Ravens — $8.8MM
- Atlanta Falcons — $8.6MM
- Seattle Seahawks — $8.3MM
- Tennessee Titans — $8.3MM
- Kansas City Chiefs — $7.9MM
- Los Angeles Rams — $7MM
- Chicago Bears — $6MM
- Dallas Cowboys — $6MM
- Miami Dolphins — $5.3MM
- Green Bay Packers — $5MM
- Houston Texans — $5MM
- Las Vegas Raiders — $3.3MM
- Philadelphia Eagles — $3.2MM
- New York Giants — $2.4MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers — $489K