Packers: Aaron Rodgers’ new deal keeps Super Bowl window open

The Green Bay Packers had two options this offseason. Either try to convince Aaron Rodgers to stay and be aggressive to keep their Super Bowl window open. Or move on, trade Rodgers, and enter rebuild mode.

Green Bay opted for the former. Rodgers is back. He now has his new contract.

According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, Rodgers’ new contract is “essentially a three-year, $150 million deal that also includes two voidable years in 2025 and 2026 that help for salary-cap purposes”.

It’s a complicated one, but it achieves a few things.

First, it gives Rodgers the commitment he needed. The Packers won’t be moving on to Jordan Love anytime soon. According to Demovsky, the Packers would have a dead cap hit of $68 million in 2023 should Rodgers only play one year on this deal. Simply put, he’s not getting traded next offseason.

Rodgers gets paid what he deserves after winning consecutive MVP awards. But this deal also significantly reduces Rodgers’ cap number for 2022.

So, how about those all-important cap numbers?

According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, his 2022 cap number is reduced by around $18 million.

This helps Green Bay get under the salary cap this season, while also being able to make some moves like re-signing De’Vondre Campbell.

The Packers have made it clear that they are all-in. With Rodgers getting a huge extension and the team also re-signing Campbell and Preston Smith and franchise-tagging Davante Adams, they are attempting to bring as many key players back as possible.

It means we will see The Last Dance 2.0, and maybe even 3.0 next year. Green Bay’s Super Bowl window remains wide open, but the pressure is on to win now. A few years down the line, the Packers’ salary cap will likely be a mess and they will need to go into full rebuild mode.

But for now, this team will again be serious contenders.