By structuring QB Aaron Rodgers' five-year, $110 million extension the way they did, the Packers have left themselves a lot of flexibility to extend other players or carry a large amount of cap space to 2014.

The official numbers for Rodgers' deal reached the NFLPA and, according to a source, the data shows that Rodgers received a $35 million signing bonus that is spread over the first five years of the contract. They lowered his base salary from $9.75 million to $4.5 million (plus $500,000 workout), so his cap number for 2013 is $12 million.

Since he was already counting $9.75 million against the cap, the Packers only lost $2.25 million of cap space.

As of Friday they were $15.48 million under the cap, so they are now $13.23 million under.

JSOnline  wrote:

The numbers are in on Aaron Rodgers’ new contract with the Green Bay Packers and they are shiny, to say the least.

You have to wonder if Rodgers could have pressed for more than $110 million in new money in five additional years, but it’s an impressive deal. Rodgers receives $54 million guaranteed, the second-highest in NFL history behind the $58 million Peyton Manning received. He’ll earn $62.5 million in the first three years of the deal, the most ever.

Now, Rodgers is on the books for seven seasons – through 2019 – at a total of $130.75 million, an average of $18,678,571 per season. Probably the best part of the contract for the team is the salary cap numbers never get out of whack. That is good for Rodgers too because those issues can lead to restructures and players getting cut. Here are his cap numbers through the life of the deal:

2013 $12 million
2014 $17.9 million
2015 $18.6 million
2016 $19.6 million
2017 $20.65 million
2018 $20.9 million
2019 $21.1 million

I guess that means they could have picked up a quality FA and still gave Aaron Rodgers his due.

I am glad the Packers and Aaron could work out a deal that does not hamstring the team for the next few years.

Originally Posted by: wpr 

Again, WHAT quality Free Agent was to be had? I am not saying there isn't, just saying I haven't a clue what Free Agent could have been brought in that matched the Packers scheme offensively or defensively that would have attributed. I explained why Steven Jackson and Osi U...ya weren't even feasible options, especially at their signed salaries.

Who did ya have in mind?

Originally Posted by: Zero2Cool 

I guess that means they could have picked up a quality FA and still gave Aaron Rodgers his due.

I am glad the Packers and Aaron could work out a deal that does not hamstring the team for the next few years.

Originally Posted by: wpr