YEE-HAW, RODGERS IS ONE RICH MAN
Another month, another recordbreaking NFL player contract. This time for Aaron Rodgers. Reports Wednesday afternoon said the Green Bay Packers have rewarded their star quarterback with a monster four-year contract extension.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said the deal is worth US$134 million with a $57.5-million signing bonus and more than $80 million due to be paid to Rodgers by March.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted the extension could become worth between $176 million and $180 million with incentives thrown in and $103 million is “practically guaranteed.” Rodgers still has two years remaining on the five-year, $110-million extension he signed in 2013. That deal will pay him annual salaries of $20.6 million this season and $21.1 million in 2019 and upon signing made Rodgers the highest-paid passer in the NFL with an average salary of $22 million.
The new extension covers the years 2020-23 and has an average salary of $33.5 million, which eclipses the NFL-leading $30-million average salary Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan got in his extension in May, which had eclipsed the $28-million average salary Kirk Cousins got as a free agent signee with the Minnesota Vikings in March, which had eclipsed the $27.5-million average salary Jimmy Garoppolo got in his new deal with the San Francisco 49ers in February, which had eclipsed the $27-million average salary the Detroit Lions rewarded Matthew Stafford with last August, which had eclipsed the $25-million average salary Derek Carr got in June 2017 in his contract extension with the Oakland Raiders. Got all that? Good. Times sure are good to be a good NFL passer. Rodgers’ re-signing means all top NFL quarterbacks who had contracts ending before the next decade are now locked up — unless Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger wants to commit to playing beyond next year. The 36-year-old is under contract for two more seasons at $23.2 million per. He has hinted strongly over the last couple years he’s close to retiring.
If any NFL quarterback is worth gargantuan pay, it’s Rodgers. I maintain the two-time NFL MVP is the best thrower of footballs this planet has produced. Watching him complete two Hail Mary heaves covering 96 yards in the final minute of a playoff game at Arizona to send it to overtime was the final proof I’ll need. Before fans of Tom Brady or Joe Montana jump down my throat, note the above judgment is purely on throwing footballs, not the whole quarterbacking package. Different thing. In that aspect, Montana probably was pre-eminent until Brady came along. Rodgers’ stats might not be crazy prolific like other top passers this century. But get this: ESPN’s stats and info department tweeted the 34-year-old could throw picks on his next 24 regular-season attempts and still own the NFL’s highest all-time touchdown-to-interception ratio, which is 4-1. Similarly, his 122.5 passer rating in 2011 is a record that might never be surpassed.
The native of Chico, Calif., would turn 40 late in the final season of his next extension in December 2023. Six more years of Rodgers? Yes, please. KENDRICKS CHARGED: In another bombshell news story out of Cleveland, Browns linebacker Mychal Kendricks Wednesday admitted to insider trading and intends to plead guilty. Reports said the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced Kendricks and co-defendant Damilare Sonoiki have been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and another count of securities fraud.
The Browns reportedly were blindsided. His status with the club was not immediately revealed, other than he won’t travel to Detroit for their Thursday pre-season finale. Kendricks, a former Philadelphia Eagle, released a statement, which said in part: “Four years ago, I participated in insider trading, and I deeply regret it. I invested money with a former friend of mine who I thought I could trust and who I greatly admired. His background as a Harvard graduate and an employee of Goldman Sachs gave me a false sense of confidence. “To this point, I had worked my tail off since I was five years old to become a football player … While I didn’t fully understand all of the details of the illegal trades, I knew it was wrong, and I wholeheartedly regret my actions.” Kendricks added he has “fully co-operated” with government investigators and while he “did not take any of the profits for myself, I am committed to repaying all of the funds gained illegally, and accept the consequences of my actions.” ProFootballTalk.com’s Mike Florio reported that with financial crimes, unlike violent crimes or drug use, the league “has no instantly available procedure for yanking a player away from the fray while still paying him, until the criminal process and/or the league’s internal procedures have resolved.”
PRE-SEASON WRAPS: A reminder that all 32 teams are in action Thursday to wrap up pre-season play. You might not even need your toes to count the number of important starters who’ll play. Teams must cut down from 90man rosters to 53 by Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. Those waived can be claimed starting Sunday at noon ET and teams can start filling their 10-man practice squads that afternoon.