Packers: June 2nd Marks Big Day for Green Bay & Aaron Rodgers
By Paul Bretl
Most years, June 2nd is just another day on the calendar, but for the Green Bay Packers, June 2nd, 2021, could be a franchise-altering day.
Any guesses on what I’m referring to? That’s right, Aaron Rodgers.
As we are all more than well aware, the three-time MVP is not happy with the Green Bay Packers, specifically management, and reportedly wants out.
Although it’s very important to note that we’ve never heard Rodgers utter the words ‘he wants out’ and even when Kenny Mayne asked him directly about demanding a trade, Rodgers casually side-stepped the question.
From the very beginning on all of this, GM Brian Gutekunst, along with Matt LaFleur and Mark Murphy, have been adamant that Rodgers is their quarterback, and they will absolutely not trade him. A recent report from Matt Schneidman of The Athletic ($$) still strongly suggests that the Packers feel this way. According to a source of Schneidman’s, Green Bay is “still holding firm” and “will not” trade Rodgers.
At this time, we really have no reason not to believe Green Bay, but if all of that talk is just a facade and they do plan on trading the reigning MVP, it is going to take place after June 1st—hence the importance of June 2nd as I mentioned above.
Rodgers comes with a whopping $37.2 million cap hit this season and had the Green Bay Packers traded him prior to June 1st, with a dead cap hit — money that stays on the books even if the player is gone — of $31.5 million, the team would only recognize a cap savings of $5.6 million. However, because any transaction after June 1st treats future prorated money differently, teams can reap more cap savings by trading or cutting a player after that date.
While Rodgers still has a $37.2 million cap hit, what changes is that his dead cap hit after June 1st is just $14.3 million–thus saving the Packers $22.8 million in cap space, according to Over the Cap. Certainly a much more significant amount and why this date is such an important day on the calendar.
Rodgers has missed voluntary — and I stress the word “voluntary” — OTAs, which is not newsworthy but is noteworthy considering he has been a regular since entering the NFL. With that said, there isn’t exactly much that we can glean from that in terms of how things are going between him and the Packers.
However, where things do get interesting if he continues to no-show is during the three day mini-camp that begins June 8th. If Rodgers does not show up at that point, he is then subject to a total fine of $93,085 for all three days missed. And if this continues into training camp, the team can start going after his signing bonus.
Yet even with cap-needy Green Bay Packers having the option to trade Rodgers, reload on draft picks and perhaps a key player or two for Jordan Love, and create $22.8 million in cap space in the process, as I’ve said from the start, I still believe that Rodgers will be the Packers’ quarterback this season. Unless there is absolutely no way for the two sides to continue working together, trading the league MVP to start a relative unknown in Love is foolish.
While Rodgers’ frustrations from recent years have bubbled over, I don’t see the relationship being irreconcilable either. Ultimately, I believe an extension will be worked out, which will infuse added years and new money into Rodgers’ contract, making it nearly impossible for the Packers to move on from him in the coming years because the dead cap hits simply won’t allow it.
But again, that’s just my best guess. If one thing has been made clear through all of this, it’s that no one really knows what is going on behind the scenes with Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. We do know that Rodgers is upset with management, but that’s about it.
So just as we’ve been doing, we will continue playing the waiting game and if Green Bay does actually want to move on from Rodgers, it will take place after June 1st.