The Green Bay Packers have reached a deal with quarterback Aaron Rodgers worth a reported $200 million over the next four years. At $50 million per season, Rodgers now ranks No. 1 in the league in annual compensation, bumping Patrick Mahomes’ $45 million average with the Kansas City Chiefs down a spot.
This news is especially bad for the Seattle Seahawks – and not only because they’ll have to contend with Rodgers another four years. His deal might make it very difficult for Seattle if they hope to keep starting QB Russell Wilson for another contract. Around this time next year Wilson’s agent Mark Rodgers will come calling for an extension. As others have noted, he’s used Rodgers’ previous deals with Green Bay as benchmarks for Wilson’s in each of the last two negotiations with Seattle.
Wrote yesterday: Russell Wilson’s agent Mark Rodgers has used Aaron Rodgers’ Packers deal as benchmarks for Wilson’s previous 2 Seahawks extensions.
Aaron Rodgers gets $153M gtd to stay with GB. That’s a wild new comp. But the salary cap is about to spikehttps://t.co/IXBmJpi6ii
— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) March 8, 2022
Wilson’s current contract pays him $35 million per season, fifth-most in the league if you don’t count Deshaun Watson. It runs through the end of the 2023 season, when his cap number will be $40 million.
We will have to see how Wilson performs this coming season before making a final judgment, but right now it’s impossible to justify paying Wilson $50 million or more per year given how he’s played the last season and a half.
While he’s still among the top-10 quarterbacks healthy, Wilson has become a bit inconsistent of late. He faltered in the second half of the 2020 season after defenses adjusted to his hot start and struggled in several games in 2021 even when his thumb wasn’t an issue.
If Wilson is going to earn Rodgers/Mahomes/Josh Allen kind of money on his next deal, he’s going to have to win an MVP award or another Super Bowl this year. If he demands it anyway, the Seahawks may want to start thinking about rebuilding around another franchise QB as soon as 2023.
