The Green Bay Packers might hand Aaron Rodgers a record deal, and that’d be really stupid.
Packers News reported the following:
But there’s still plenty to be determined for Rodgers, who will be in line for a record-setting contract this offseason, assuming the Green Bay Packers work aggressively to extend their quarterback’s deal with two years left on it. That’s a fairly safe assumption. They don’t want to let Rodgers get inside of two years if they can help it.
I’ve been a pretty big critic of Rodgers over the past few years for a variety of reasons. Don’t take what I’m saying here as criticism. I don’t doubt his abilities on the field at all. The man can play some ball.
However, he’s currently 34 years old and has struggled with injuries. There’s no doubt that Rodgers is a top three quarterback in the NFL when he’s healthy. We have more than enough game tape to make that assertion with confidence.
However, handing Rodgers record money is so risky. He has suffered two serious injuries in the past few years, and had to miss extended time. The older you get the more likely injuries become. Does anybody actually believe that Rodgers is going to get harder to hurt as he gets older? That’s not how sports work at all.
The Packers should offer him a ton of money, but they should avoid the trap of doing something really dumb like throwing $150 million at him. That will be a very bad decision, especially if he gets hurt again. Pay him a big salary, but don’t cripple the franchise over a quarterback is far beyond the wrong side of 30.