3 reasons why the 2022 NFL season will be make-or-break for Aaron Rodgers
The Green Bay Packers got their wish by landing Aaron Rodgers on a new deal for the 2022 season. That possibility seemed lost after Jordan Love was taken in the 2020 NFL Draft, but both sides patched things up to continue chasing Super Bowls for the next several years.
Or, at least, that is the plan. Both the offense and defense have lost key pieces, and the Packers look weaker than they were when the offseason began.
The quarterback returned to chase a Super Bowl. But if his team falls short again next season, he may be out of opportunities.
3 reasons Aaron Rodgers is facing his most pressure yet
#3 - Green Bay could look to cut costs
The Packers totally flipped and decided to lure in Rodgers with a deal worth $50 million annually. The entire idea here is to win one more Super Bowl with the future Hall of Famer.
But if that doesn't happen next season, the front office may regret their decision and may begin making cuts, just to deal with the financial implications of this massive new deal. That could end up pushing Rodgers into retirement at a point when the whole goal was to take a strong contender deep into the postseason.
#2 - Tough to lure in top free agents
Free agent wide receivers just saw Davante Adams opt to leave the Packers in favor of joining up with Derek Carr and the Las Vegas Raiders. Yes, the two were college teammates and friends. However, the same type of exodus does not seem to be a thing for someone like Tom Brady.
Aaron Rodgers first and last TD to @tae15adams. Iβm going to miss this duo. https://t.co/W2lMLtRyCw
The Packers already have to deal with convincing players to head to one of the coldest cities in the NFL. Trying to land players to play with Rodgers, whose future will be uncertain with another failed Super Bowl quest, may be even more difficult than it already is at the moment.
#1 - Falling behind the competition
He just won back-to-back MVP awards, but his team didn't even reach the Super Bowl. He now has to deal with the reality that the entire NFL is stacked with elite quarterback talent.
While most of the talent is centered in the AFC, players like Brady, Matthew Stafford, and Dak Prescott represent top signal-callers in the NFC. Kirk Cousins is even a respectable option within the NFC North, while Justin Fields could take a big leap in his second year.
The highest paid QBs in the NFL based on average yearly salary.
1. Aaron Rodgers - 50.2M
2. Deshaun Watson - 46.0M
3. Patrick Mahomes - 45.0M
4. Josh Allen - 43.0M
5. Dak Prescott - 40.0M
6. Matthew Stafford - 40.0M
7. Russell Wilson - 35.0M
8. Kirk Cousins - 35.0M
Top 32 Below https://t.co/fLd6bX1kb3
The only solution for Rodgers, if he fails to win a Super Bowl again, may be to pull a Brady and head elsewhere. Yet his contract complicates such a scenario.
Rodgers and the Packers are back together again, but they lost a key star in Adams in the process. If they fail to win a Super Bowl, all the offseason drama and the eventual cash may end up being for nothing.
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