"These next three years will determine his legacy" - NFL analyst believes it’s now or never for Aaron Rodgers to solidify his legend
This morning on First Take, former NFL player and analyst Marcus Spears gave his thoughts on Aaron Rodgers returning to the Green Bay Packers. The four-time MVP is set to play with the Packers for the next three seasons after signing his new extension.
Spears emphasized that the next three years, or however long the 38-year-old quarterback plays in Green Bay, will be about his legacy.
“These next three years, or however long he's in Green Bay, will determine his legacy and where he stands as a quarterback amongst the greats. Not talent, not what he's accomplished. He's already great. He's already done tremendous things. He's won a Super Bowl, one is hard to get. But we've had all of this, all of these things leading up to this point, and to your point, we knew Aaron was gonna get paid. We knew he was gonna be the highest-paid quarterback. We knew from Green Bay going on every medium talking about ‘He's our guy. We want him. We want Aaron Rodgers. We’re going to offer him. We’re flying to California or wherever the hell he’s at to make sure that we can get this contract done,'" said Spears.
Spears added that he is glad the quarterback is coming back. Spears also said, now that Rodgers is paid, it's about his legacy going forward.
"We're just waiting for Aaron to say he's coming back.’ We knew the money was coming. The legacy now. This is what it's about for Aaron Rodgers. You go get the big money. You flame the franchise and then you repaired some relationships. Give him credit for that. I also am glad that he got this done. I'm also glad he said that they were coming back," Spears added.
Aaron Rodgers is back with Green Bay on a three-year $150 million deal
After speculation that he may retire or force a trade out of Green Bay, the Packers quarterback officially signed his new contract extension through 2024 this morning. The deal is for three years total, worth $150 million, which averages $50 million a year. He is now under contract with the Packers through the 2024 season.
Aaron Rodgers’ new deal is three years, $150 million - but that’s including this year that he already had. So in actuality, it’s really a two-year, $124 million extension.
While the Aaron Rodgers situation is settled, the Packers still have to figure out what they are going to do with wide receiver Davante Adams. The Packers franchise tagged Adams last week, but there's been reports that Adams will not play this season on the tag.
Davante Adams told the Packers he won’t play on the franchise tag this season, per @RapSheet https://t.co/AB6b8twWzC
The Packers went from possibly losing Rodgers and Adams to retaining both this off-season. The expectation is that the Packers and Adams will hammer out a long-term deal before the window ends on July 15th. This is still a situation to monitor until more news develops.