27 July 2023 , 13:31
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Aaron Rodgers has been "grudgingly" praised for his decision to sign a re-worked contract.
The legendary quarterback decided to take a pay cut and agreed to a revised two-year, £58million ($75m) contract with the New York Jets. He was due to make close to £85m ($110m) in guarantees on his original contract, but his new deal will allow the franchise more financial flexibility over the next two years as they look to climb up the rankings.
This prompted Fox Sports analyst Skip Bayless to commend the 39-year-old for his decision to take a page from the book of NFL icon Tom Brady. “I grudgingly admit Aaron Rodgers just made a crucial financial sacrifice for his new team,” he tweeted. “Now that was Brady-esque. Maybe there IS hope after all for the Jets.”
Throughout his illustrious career, while still making eye-watering amounts Brady opted for team-friendly deals to save cap space and allow players to be paid what they were worth. Rodgers confirmed the reworked contract agreement in a post-practice media session on Wednesday and doubled down on his goal to play more than one season with the Jets.
"The team gave up significant pieces for it to be just a one-year deal," he said. "I'm aware of that. Anything could happen with my body or the success we have this year, but I'm having a blast, so I really don't see this as a one-year-and-done thing."
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In the coming days, Rodgers is set to receive a £27m ($35m) roster bonus along with an additional £1.39m ($1.8m) salary. In 2024, his salary is £29.6m ($38.2m). Rodgers endeavours to play in the NFL until at least the age of 40, a milestone he will reach in December.
He has done a stellar job of embracing the glitz and glamour of New York so far and has already elevated an offence that finished 29th in the scoring charts last season. While it has been challenging to move to a new state having spent his entire career with the Greenbay Packers in Wisconsin, Rodgers is aiming to make the most of this opportunity.
Bayless praised Rodgers for using a tactic similar to Tom Brady regarding his revised contract (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)"Change can be difficult, for sure, especially when it's that drastic, 18 years in one spot," he said. "If you can lean into it and embrace it, there's some really beautiful things on the other side."
In a bid to extend his career for as long as possible, Rodgers said he has adjusted his diet and training routines in recent years. He will need to keep doing that as the Jets aim to end their 12-year Playoff drought, the longest current streak in the NFL.
"Obviously, Tom [Brady] set the standard playing at 45, which is crazy, but less crazy when you start to get closer to that because you still love the game, and you want to be there doing it," the former MVP added. "If you take care of yourself the right way, you put yourself in a position to at least entertain that thought."