The man who thinks Big Pharma was out to get him has given a Big Pharma heir a big gift.
Per NFL Media, the new contract signed by Aaron Rodgers and the Jets drops his two-year haul from $108.7 million to $75 million. That’s a drop of $33.7 million, a 31-percent cut in pay for the next two years.
And most of the money gets paid in 2024, creating an added incentive for Rodgers to stick around. According to NFL Media, Rodgers gets a $35 million roster bonus, a 2023 base salary of $1,838,888, and a 2024 base salary of $38,161,112.
The deal also reportedly includes a no-trade clause (which is meaningless for player like Rodgers) and a no-tag clause (which is meaningful).
Rodgers can, if he wants, play for any other team in 2025. Whether he wants to do that remains to be seen.
Via Spotrac.com, the new cap numbers are $8.838 million in 2023 and $45.161 million in 2024. There will be a $21 million dead-money charge in 2025.
Rodgers had every right to take a pay cut, but it’s a curious move that possibly was driven by his desire to ingratiate himself fully and completely to Jets fans and media, while also giving yet another middle finger to the Packers.
The biggest winner is owner Woody Johnson, who instantly avoids $33.7 million he assumed he’d be paying when the trade was done. If the Packers had known Rodgers was willing to do that, they might have insisted on even more from the Jets in the trade that was finalized in April.
