Aaron Rodgers was patient. He waited his turn and now it is his time to get paid. Rodgers has let the Green Bay Packers handle the contracts of other players, confident that his team will recognize his worth soon enough. Now, the two parties are reported to be very close in coming to terms on a new contract extension. When signed, Rodgers would become the highest paid quarterback in the NFL.
Both sides have been relatively quiet about the new deal in public. Rodgers is currently under contract until 2014, having signed a six-year, $65 million contract back in October of 2008. He is set to earn $9.25 million in 2013 and $10.5 million in 2014. While he and the Packers were hesitant on the extension, it is believed negotiations will be complete come the end of the offseason.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is currently the highest paid quarterback in the NFL after his Super Bowl victory. Earlier in March he signed a six-year, $120.6 million contract that will keep him in Baltimore for a long time. Drew Brees is the next highest paid quarterback, having signed a deal last year with the New Orleans Saints worth an annual base salary of $20 million. Peyton Manning currently earns $18 million with the Denver Broncos.
While the total financial details of Rodgers' new deal are not known, it is speculated that the potential contract will be worth an average of $25 million per year. The Packers have said publically that their priority was to get Rodgers a new contract prior to the 2013 season. His new contract is being placed above those of linebacker Clay Matthews and nose tackle B.J. Raji who are both coming to end of their current deals.
At 29-yers old, Rodgers has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league over the past three years. He led the Packers to a Super Bowl victory in 2010, earning Super Bowl MVP honors in the process. He was the league MVP in 2011 when he posted the highest single-season passer rating of all-time with 112.5. He also led the league in 2012 in passer rating with 108.0, throwing for 4,295 yards and 39 touchdowns.
