Aaron Rodgers has proven he can be quite the wild card, so anyone other than him saying they know what he'll do this offseason is lying.
Rodgers showed off his leverage last offseason in an effort to sweeten his deal with the Green Bay Packers. But their season now is over after coming up short yet again, and it seems uncertain that Rodgers will be back with the Packers -- and retirement also feels possible.
ESPN's Adam Schefter on Monday offered his take on the quarterback's situation with Green Bay.
"It's going to be up to him," Schefter said on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show." "He sounded to me like a guy saying goodbye the other night to Green Bay. To me, it reminded me a little bit of the Saturday night that the Patriots lost to the Titans and the way Tom Brady sounded after that game a little bit. ... Now, look, there's no doubt the relationship that he's had with the organization has been better this year. They'll talk about it, they'll figure it out, but I'll tell you this: when I talk to people around the league, they seem to think he's leaving."
If nothing else, Rodgers has a ton of leverage. He's coming off an impressive regular season, and while there certainly are some holes on the Packers' roster, it was clear this season that they were going to go as far as Rodgers would take them.
That makes it more pivotal than ever that the cap-crunched Packers find a way to bring him back. Schefter seems to think that was, partially, Rodgers' plan all along.
"I'll just say this, that he returned to Green Bay last summer ... the leverage shifted over to him," Schefter said. "What he did last offseason, last summer, in deciding to return -- which was under debate -- shifted the power and leverage to him this offseason. Everything he did last offseason has put him in the position he's in today. So he is going to get to decide what he wants to do.
"He's got a $46.1 million cap number, which was made that way so that they would have to do something with him and he would have to sign off on it. And he's got that 46.1 number at a time when they, the Packers, are projected to be $44.8 million over the cap. They have one of the worst cap situations in the league. They are greatly restricted, they need the help of their quarterback. So if the quarterback wants to return, he will go help them. And if he wants out, he will say you need to unload my salary."
It likely will be a while before we know anything for sure. Rodgers said he doesn't want to be part of a rebuild, which is fair. So, if the Packers are intent on winning, then they might have to find a way to ensure Rodgers stays put.
