Originally Posted by: MintBaconDrivel
Yeah, you would think so ...... I hope so ...... but I wouldn't bet money on it. I really hope they don't try some misguided strategy of low-balling Rodgers and alienating him, then either scrambling at the last minute or the unthinkable - losing him. The guy is flat out the best player in football, and he deserves to be paid like the best player. I've heard speculation about his personality great guy, team oriented, excellent leader OR stat whore, overly prideful, etc. None of us really know that, however, we can probably say that any star pro football player is going to have a degree of ego; We can also say based on the team's performance and the lack of negativity from teammates that he is a good leader; And of course, we know he throws the ball like nobody else and runs enough to more than keep defenses honest.
It is easily possible to structure a contract to make him radically the highest paid player in the NFL without harming the cap situation. Example: how does $231 million over 10 years sound? record-setting enough? Do you think he would be satisfied with a $50 million signing bonus? Then salary of $3 million the first year followed by $8, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 25, 30, and 35 million years 2 - 10. The cap hit would be just $8 million the first year, followed by 13, 17, 19, etc. Yeah, it gets ridiculous in the end, but by then you restructure or cut him if he drops off too much - which I very much doubt. Make either the first 4 years or the first 5 guaranteed - $84 or $100 million including the bonus.
Something like that should leave plenty to re-sign Matthews and Raji (who I wish they would NOT give a big contract too, but that's for another thread), and still keep at least as good a supporting cast as the Packers have had in the Thompson era.
Expressing the Good Normal Views of Good Normal Americans.
If Anything I Say Smacks of Extremism, Please Tell Me EXACTLY What.