The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t signed QB Aaron Rodgers yet. While NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero reported the contract parameters are already in place, those details obviously haven’t been reported yet. Pelissero added it’ll be a one-year deal for Rodgers, and CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin broke down what the Steelers could wind up giving Rodgers in a new contract.
Benjamin ultimately believes that Rodgers’ contract will be worth $30 million over one season.
“If $25 million is the floor, then Rodgers’ financial ceiling is probably about $35 million per year. Some have suggested the former MVP could draw at least $40 million, but that seems unlikely given Rodgers played for less ($37.5 million per year) with the New York Jets, and is now two years older — and visibly more limited as a play-extender — since agreeing to that deal,” Benjamin wrote. “So where does that leave us? Cut it down the middle, and you’ve got a logical contract template for Rodgers: one year for approximately $30 million.”
That figure does seem a little bit low given that Geno Smith just got $37.5 million in APY in his extension with the Las Vegas Raiders, and that deal could wind up impacting what the Steelers ultimately pay Rodgers. But it would be a surprise if he was paid more than he made last season, given the Jets’ struggles, but the inflated quarterback market could help him out.
The Steelers have ample cap space to pay Rodgers and can also create more with restructures. There’s zero concern that the contract will be an issue when it comes to Pittsburgh potentially signing Rodgers. A one-year deal also eliminates some risks that would be involved if it were a longer-term deal, and Rodgers struggled.
Despite it seemingly being easy enough for the Steelers to get Aaron Rodgers inked, given their need at the position, interest in him, and ability to pay him, the process has continued to drag on, and Pittsburgh still doesn’t have a concrete answer yet at quarterback. With team owner Art Rooney II saying that the Steelers won’t wait forever, it’ll be interesting to see just how long the team will be willing to wait out Rodgers while he decides between playing for Pittsburgh, retiring, or trying to latch on elsewhere.
