The Green Bay Packers agreed to make Aaron Rodgers, the reigning MVP, the highest paid player in NFL history with a four-year contract worth $200 million. The move altered the NFL futures market and the Packers are now +1000 odds to win Super Bowl 57 according to the latest update by DraftKings.
The richest contract in history ended speculation that the Packers were going to trade an unhappy Rodgers to the Denver Broncos.
Rodgers, 38, is a four-time MVP and won the MVP in the last two seasons. Clearly he intends to play into his 40s much like Tom Brady.
In 2021, Rodgers completed 68.9% of his passes for 4,115 yards, 37 touchdowns, and four interceptions. He led the league with fewest picks and had the highest QBR at 69.1.
Rogers led the Packers to a 13-4 record last season. The Packers won the NFC North and secured the #1 seed in the playoffs. However, the Packers were upset by the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional Round despite hosting the playoff game at the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field.
Over the last three seasons, the Packers won 13 games with Rodgers under center, but they’re just 2-3 in the postseason with two losses in the NFC Championship game.
Happy Rodgers
Rodgers and the Packers had a well-documented feud that almost resulted in him sitting out the season after requesting a trade. Multiple teams scrambled in last year’s offseason to put themselves in position to land Rodgers in a trade. The Denver Broncos were the front runners and John Elway couldn’t wait to see Rodgers in a Denver uniform.
However, the Packers and Rodgers temporarily settled their beef and he agreed to play the 2021 season. The prevailing sentiment was that the Packers were going to make Rodgers a contract extension, but would trade Rodgers if the offseason if he declined. There was also a third scenario where Rodgers could retire. All signs pointed toward a trade with Rodgers getting out of Green Bay.
The Denver Broncos made a couple of moves to entice Rodgers to join them. They fired Vic Fangio and hired Nathaniel Hackett as their new head coach after Hackett spent time as the offensive coordinator of the Packers.
However, in the last few days, numerous reports surfaced that indicated Rodgers was torn and seriously considering sticking around Green Bay. The Packers dangled $200 million in front of Rodgers and stroked his ego by making him the highest paid quarterback in history.
In the end, all the Broncos trade talks were just rumors and Rodgers used them to get a fat raise worth $200 million. He’ll now become the NFL’s highest-paid player and quarterback. In the meantime, the Broncos scrambled and worked out a trade with the Seattle Seahawks for Russell Wilson.
Super Bowl Odds Bump
DraftKings posted Super Bowl 57 odds shortly before Super Bowl 56 kicked off. The Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills were the initial co-favorites to win the next Super Bowl at +700 odds, with the LA Rams +1000 odds to repeat as champions. The Green Bay Packers were listed seventh on the board at +1500 odds.
After news broke about Rodgers returning to the Packers, bookies quickly adjusted their odds The Rams slipped to +1100 odds to win Super Bowl 57, while the Packers improved to +1000 odds as the third-highest team on the NFL futures board. There was no movement in the Bills or Chiefs lines.
