Packers: June 8th Marks Next Important Date for Aaron Rodgers & Green Bay

Since we first learned about Aaron Rodgers’ frustrations with the Green Bay Packers on the night of the NFL Draft, we’ve already passed a few key dates. While May 24th wasn’t the first day of voluntary OTAs — there were virtual meetings as well — it was the first time that the players had taken the field together, and as we all know, Aaron Rodgers was not present. Now, again, this is voluntary, but by now showing up, he missed out on a $500,000 workout bonus, and it’s also worth noting that previously, he had been a regular attendee.

The next key date to know was June 1st, one that we just recently passed. The reason this is an important date is that even though the Green Bay Packers have continued to stress that they won’t trade Rodgers — and I believe them — if they were going to, it would take place after June 1st. The reason being, Rodgers dead cap hit plummets from $31.55 million, if he were traded prior to that date, to $14.35 million because, to put it simply, future prorated money is treated differently at that point. The result is that instead of Green Bay freeing up $5.6 million in cap space, they would save $22.85 million, according to Over the Cap–a huge difference, obviously.

Now the next date to know, and one that is rapidly approaching, is June 8th. This marks the start of the Green Bay Packers 3-day mini-camp.

While OTAs are voluntary, mini-camp is mandatory, which means if a player fails to show up, they will be subject to fines. As Matt Schneidman of The Athletic ($$) recently noted in an article of his, if Rodgers misses the first day, he will be fined $15,515. If he misses the second day, he is then fined $31,030. And if he misses Day 3, he will be fined $46,540–totaling $93,085.

Now for Rodgers, who just missed out on earning an additional $500,000, is he going to be terribly concerned about cutting a check for $93,085 if he misses all three days? My guess is no. So even though these practices are mandatory, as he and the Green Bay Packers (hopefully) continue to work through things, I don’t believe the penalty for missing is harsh enough that it would force him to show up if he’s still unhappy with Brian Gutekunst and Packers’ management.

After Wednesday’s practice, coach LaFleur was asked about whether or not he expects Rodgers to be at mini-camp, and like the rest of us, he doesn’t know what to expect:

"“It’s important that we have all our guys and certainly we’d love him to be here and hopefully we’ll see him Tuesday,” LaFleur told reporters via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel."

If Rodgers does decide to skip the mandatory mini-camp, as I’ve said before, I would consider it noteworthy but not newsworthy. Rodgers missing those three practices does not signify that his relationship with Green Bay is irreconcilable; it just means they haven’t been able to resolve the issue yet. But where this situation does transfer from noteworthy to newsworthy — and potentially alarming — is when training camp begins.

At that point, if Rodgers continues to no-show, he is subject to fines of $50,000 for every day missed, and that figure is written in the CBA; it’s not some arbitrary number that the Green Bay Packers will choose. If he continues to miss practices, the Packers can also go after his signing and roster bonuses, which total $6.8 million and $14.352 million, respectively, for the 2021 season.

With that said, there is still plenty of time between now and when training camp begins for things to be worked out. So keep that information in mind, but don’t focus too heavily on it just yet.

As I’ve mentioned a few times before, I still believe a contract extension with new money and new years solves all of this as it will take away Green Bay’s ability to move on from him in the next few years–providing Rodgers with control of his own timeline, which I believe is what he’s wanted all along. However, just as we’ve been doing, we will have to continue playing the waiting game, and the next important date to circle on your calendar is June 8th.