Report: Green Bay Packers working on short-term deal for Aaron Rodgers

The Green Bay Packers are working on a short-term deal to keep quarterback Aaron Rodgers, per NFL reporter Ian Rapoport. The deal would reportedly make the 10-time Pro Bowler and four-time MVP the highest paid player in the league on a per year basis.

“Nothing is done, but they are having discussions,” Rapoport said on NFL Total Access. “They are having negotiations to have a deal, hopefully for them, ready to go if and when Aaron Rodgers firmly and finally decides that he wants to return.”

Rodgers is set to enter the final year of his contract with the Packers next season, causing much speculation about his future. If the team keeps him in 2022, it will take a cap hit of $46.1 million under his current deal, more than 20% of their salary cap space. Cutting or trading Rodgers would free up $19.9 million.

The quarterback has been linked to Denver, where former Green Bay offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett was recently named head coach. Rodgers has a great relationship Hackett and expressed a desire to continue working his him this past season.

“’Hack’ has been a really important part of our culture change,” Rodgers said back on November 11. “And a part of our success on offense. I love him. I hope he doesn’t go anywhere… Unless I do.”

The entire NFL world has been anxiously awaiting Rodgers’ decision since the Packers were eliminated in the divisional round of the playoffs by the San Francisco 49ers. The quarterback made an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show last week, but offered no clues as to where he is at.

“There will be no news today,” he said. “No decision on my future.”

As he weighs his options, there’s another big decision looming — and it involves another Packers star. Davante Adams is a candidate to receive a franchise tag as he gets ready to enter free agency. The NFL’s deadline to add the tag to players is March 8, and Rodgers has previously said he will make his decision before then out of respect to his teammate.

“There’s this one specific guy who’s like the best guy in the entire league at what he does,” Rodgers said. “He wears No. 17, you might have heard of him. There’s obviously the opportunity to tag him at some point, which I don’t think both parties probably wnat that done. They’d rather get a long-term extension done. I understand that’s a part of the decision and I talked about not wanting to drag this thing out.”

This past season, Rodgers threw for 4,115 yards and ranked third in the NFL with a 68.9% completion percentage. He also had threw for a league-low four interceptions and 37 touchdowns — giving him one of the best touchdown-to-interception ratios of the year.