The biggest domino yet to fall in the quarterback market remains Aaron Rodgers. What he decides regarding his playing future – and where he will next be suiting up, most importantly – will be the top storyline in the league, and will have course have a dramatic impact on the rest of the offseason. 

[Related: No Trade Calls On Aaron Rodgers]

Despite the start of the new league year getting closer by the day, the reigning MVP is still “truly torn on where he wants to play in 2022” according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). He adds that while staying in Green Bay is a distinct possibility, Rodgers is “going back and forth on what he wants”. Rapoport lists Denver as “the other spot he’d want to be“, which shouldn’t come as a surprise given the degree to which the Broncos were linked to him especially after the hiring of Nathaniel Hackett as head coach.

On that point, Mike Florio of Pro Football talk has reported that the Broncos are among multiple AFC teams which “have trade compensation lined up with the Packers”. He names the Titans and Steelers as other “viable possibilities”, noting that each club, as would be expected, is likely to have a new contract for Rodgers which would “fall into place quickly”. CBS’ Jason La Canfora also reports (via Twitter) that Green Bay has been contacted by those teams, adding that the Packers would ask for a “massive return” if they do trade him.

However, Adam Schefter of ESPN tweets that the Packers are not currently engaged in trade talks of any kind, given that Rodgers still hasn’t made a firm commitment yet. Still, he is quick to add that a deal “will be easy enough” to get done if and when Rodgers asks to be moved.

Earlier this week, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst stated the team has “not at all” been in discussion with interested teams regarding his quarterback. Not long before that, it was reported that the two sides were working on a short-term extension to keep him in Green Bay, while making him the highest-paid player in the league.

If Rodgers sticks to his original intention of making a final decision before the new league year begins on March 16th, a resolution to this situation will be coming sooner rather than later. Regardless of what happens, the ripples of that decision will be felt throughout the league for this season and likely beyond.

The Packers haven’t received any recent trade inquiries on Aaron Rodgers, according to GM Brian Gutekunst (via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com). “Not at all,” Gutekunst said when asked if there have been any conversations with rival GMs regarding Rodgers . “Not at all. Not a single person.”

[RELATED: Rodgers, Packers Begin Talks] 

That could be because teams are waiting to hear about Rodgers’ decision. For his part, Gutekunst believes that he’ll know more by March 16th when free agency opens.

“I would hope so, yeah,” Gutekunst said. “That’s obviously the start of the new league year. There’s a lot of decisions that have to be made before that. So that would be helpful. I would think we would know something before then.”

It’s also worth noting that Gutekunst has not promised to trade Rodgers, should he push to go elsewhere. The Packers have begun discussing a potential contract with the reigning MVP, in the event that he’s willing to stay in Green Bay. Some have speculated that Rodgers wants to become the highest-paid player in the NFL with a ~$50MM/year salary. For his part, Rodgers says such chatter is “categorically false.”

In any event, a new contract is a must. As it stands, Rodgers is set to count for $46.7MM against the cap in 2022, a figure that would force out wide receiver Davante Adams and several other key veterans. Should Adams reach free agency, he’ll be greeted by top-of-the-market offers from eager suitors like the Raiders and Jaguars.

The Packers are preparing for a future where Aaron Rodgers is their quarterback. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter), the organization and Rodgers’ representatives have been working on a new contract should the QB stick around Green Bay.

sSpecifically, the two sides are eyeing a short-term deal that would make Rodgers the NFL’s highest-paid player on a per-year basis. Patrick Mahomes currently leads the NFL with a $45MM AAV. Rodgers ranks seventh at $33.5MM.

FRIDAY: Rodgers has certainly made himself far more accessible since his 2021 holdout ended; his latest comments attempted to refute the report he wants $50MM per year. The four-time MVP called reports he wants to be the NFL’s highest-paid player by a wide margin “categorically false,” via Pat McAfee (video link).

While Rodgers has a case for such a salary, given his accomplishments since signing his current deal in 2018, a market-resetting pact would affect the Packers or another team’s ability to build a championship contender around him. In Rodgers’ defense, he insisted his 2021 holdout was not about money and stuck to his guns by playing last season on a deal that Mahomes and other younger passers have since surpassed. A contract adjustment will almost certainly be necessary for Rodgers to stay in Green Bay; his 2022 cap number surges to $46.7MM.

THURSDAY: The Packers hope they will have Aaron Rodgers back next season, and Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com notes the sides have been communicating (video link). Rodgers and the team have discussed his contract, Demovsky adds, as they navigate a complex cap situation.

Similar to Rodgers’ 2018 negotiations, keeping the future first-ballot Hall of Famer around would mean making him the NFL’s highest-paid player. Rodgers is believed to be targeting a deal that makes him the league’s highest-paid player by a wide margin, Dianna Russini of ESPN.com said during an appearance on the Rich Eisen Podcast (video link), mentioning $50MM per year as a relevant number here.

[RELATED: Packers Unlikely To Take Calls On Jordan Love]

While this would be a monster number and represent a seismic increase in quarterback salaries over the past two years, Rodgers is now negotiating with back-to-back MVPs on his resume. The quarterback market was at $35MM (Russell Wilson) as of summer 2020, and Patrick Mahomes reached $45MM on average because he agreed to a 10-year extension. Rodgers’ age stands to limit the length of his next contract, so a deal worth $50MM or close to it on average would be a more player-friendly agreement than the one Mahomes landed.

Following Mahomes’ pact, Dak Prescott and Josh Allen each scored deals at or north of $40MM AAV. Allen got to $43MM but did so on a six-year deal. Although a Rodgers extension would be vital for the Packers’ 2022 cap situation, as they are still nearly $40MM over without factoring in a Davante Adams franchise tag, this would be a tremendous markup from the superstar QB’s current $33.5MM extension. When Rodgers agreed to that extension in August 2018, the NFL was barely a year removed from having its first $25MM-per-year player (Derek Carr).

The obvious wrinkle interfering with the Packers authorizing a record Rodgers extension remains. He has not informed the Packers he wants to stay in Green Bay, and Russini reports multiple teams have sent the Packers offers (Twitter link). Rodgers does intend to inform the Pack of his decision soon, Russini adds, but with the franchise tag window having opened this week, the situation has moved into crunch time for the team.

The Broncos have been the team most closely connected to a Rodgers pursuit. They were on Rodgers’ destination list last year. It would be surprising if the Packers sent Rodgers to an NFC team, but that does not stop NFC franchises from sending over proposals. The Panthers and Commanders have been linked to QB pursuits. Should Rodgers have a new employer soon, that team would need to authorize this record-setting extension. Of course, Brian Gutekunst said Wednesday he did not promise to trade Rodgers in the event of a request. That could be a rather notable hurdle here, should Rodgers inform the Packers he wants out.

As the football world awaits Aaron Rodgers‘ decision about his Packers future, Green Bay’s GM offered a clarification that could inject some 2021-style turbulence into this situation.

Brian Gutekunst said Wednesday his agreement with Rodgers last year was to “sit down and work it out, one way or another,” via ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky (on Twitter). Gutekunst added he never promised he would trade Rodgers if a request surfaced. Rodgers’ kind words about 2021 adversaries Gutekunst and team president Mark Murphy notwithstanding, the Packers being ready for another standoff — if Rodgers wants a trade — would set up an unexpected sequel to last year’s drama.

“That was not something I told him,” Gutekunst said of a potential trade promise, via Demovsky. “Again, I think the whole conversation with Aaron last season before he came back was that, regardless, at the end of this past season, that we would sit down as a group and we would work it out one way or another.”

To get Rodgers to report to the Packers last year, the team took the 2023 season off the MVP’s contract and made 2022 a walk year. While Rodgers would be a free agent in 2023, that would come when he is 39. With his prime waning, the four-time MVP would be a more attractive option to teams in 2022 than he would a year from now. That said, Rodgers would surely be coveted on next year’s market — should this process get there. After reworking Rodgers’ contract, the Packers cannot use their franchise tag on him in 2023.

Rodgers and Davante Adams‘ Wisconsin futures are up in the air. Gutekunst said Wednesday a non-zero chance of Adams departing in free agency exists. While the Packers have not used their franchise tag since 2010, Adams should be expected to be tagged by the time the window closes March 8. Gutekunst called the tag a “last resort” for Adams. But the sides have not discussed an extension since the season ended and had broken off talks ahead of training camp last year. That points to a tag on the horizon.

Rodgers’ status clouds Adams’, however. It will be interesting to see how the outspoken quarterback responds to Gutekunst, in the event he does not wish to return for an 18th Packers season.

While it’s still uncertain if Aaron Rodgers will be sticking around Green Bay, it sounds like his relationship with the organization is improving. According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, Rodgers has “made it clear that the animosity he felt toward the organization at this time last year is gone.” However, the MVP still hasn’t made a decision about whether he wants to return to the Packers next season.

The issues started about nine months ago when things gradually bubbled over during a long-term contract negotiation between the Packers and Rodgers. Rodgers had reportedly been unhappy during the proceedings and became so disgruntled that he told members of the organization that he didn’t want to return to the team. This frustration continued throughout an offseason that saw loads of trade speculation, including a report that Rodgers was under the impression that the Packers had promised to trade him before reneging on their deal. The offseason also contained a Rodgers hold-out that ended with a deal that some saw as a “Last Dance” contract that would help set up his departure after the season ended.

Now, Rodgers is coming off his fourth MVP season, with the 38-year-old leading the organization to their second-straight first-round bye in the playoffs. After accepting the MVP award the other day, Rodgers addressed his future, and he said he’d make a decision before long.

“I think you’ve got to take some of the emotion out of it and then kind of lean into understanding what it takes to revamp and feel like what’s the best place,” Rodgers said. “The best decision for me moving forward — not really place — more just what does it feel like to commit to a season if that’s what I want to do? The good thing is I still feel like my body is in a good place.”

Immediately after the season ended, Rodgers made it clear that he has no interest in staying in Green Bay if he doesn’t think the team can win in 2022. Part of that had to do with the issues detailed above, but Davante Adams‘ free agency and Nathaniel Hackett‘s move to Denver certainly wouldn’t help the Packers’ cause. However, Rodgers is seemingly leaving the door open to playing another season in Green Bay.

If that happens, the Packers will need to rework Rodgers’ contract, and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com confirms that that club is willing to go “all in” by spending to the cap and spreading out cap charges into future years to give Rodgers as competitive of a roster as possible (Twitter link). Ian Rapoport of NFL.com suggests that a two-year deal worth over $45MM per year and with voidable years tacked onto the back end for cap purposes could be in play.