Aaron Rodgers is arguably is the best quarterback in football but isn't paid like it. At some point, maybe soon, that will change. But if you think Rodgers will hold out in anger until it does, that likely isn't going to happen.
Sources close to Rodgers describe the quarterback as concerned about his contract situation with the Packers, but they say he isn't yet prepared to hold out this offseason or this summer, if a new deal isn't reached.
Sure, that could change, but it seems Rodgers wants no part of a holdout. There is also the belief in the Rodgers camp that one won't be needed and both sides will reach an agreement on a new deal.
“He paid close attention to the money Joe Flacco received,” a source close to Rodgers explained, “but there's no anger. He's not planning to hold out.”
Rodgers might be within his rights if he did. Last year he had an MVP-caliber season completing 67.2 percent of his throws for 39 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He led the sport with a quarterback rating of 108. He was brilliant and remains maybe the best combination of athleticism and throwing accuracy in the NFL.
Yet Rodgers' paycheck doesn't match his status. He has two years remaining on a six-year extension signed in 2008 that pays him $9.25 million in 2013 and $10.5 million in 2014. Rodgers might be the lowest-paid superstar in any major American sport. Flacco and Drew Brees are both earning approximately $20 million per season.
I'm also told Rodgers wasn't exactly thrilled that his brother, Luke, mocked Flacco in a tweet. Wrote Luke Rodgers on Twitter: “Joe Flacco is getting 20 million a season. Wow. Can't wait to see Ryan Fitzpatrick's new deal....”
That's just flat-out cold blooded.
Rodgers and the Packers could strike a new deal for a far more lucrative contract soon, but if they don't, it's likely Rodgers won't hold out.
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