After Patrick Mahomes Selfless Pay Cut, Packers Clueless With Aaron Rodgers Dilemma

Recently the Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes selflessly decided to take a pay cut for the betterment of the roster for the upcoming season. This is an authentic example of a leader who sees growth over selfish reasons. While the Chiefs will be using this cap space to bolster their arsenal for another Super Bowl Championship, the Green Bay Packers are faced with a dilemma for themselves. Ever since Aaron Rodgers announced his intentions to play with the New York Jets, it raises a question in the NFL world, ‘what will the Packers do?’

A-Rod’s situation is still uncertain, as the Packers are yet to decide what move will be enough to compensate for the trade of their legendary quarterback.

The cap space dilemma for the Aaron Rodgers trade

The Packers quarterback signed a three-year $150 million contract extension on March 2022. After spending 18 years with the Packers, Rodgers recently announced that he will be moving forward to play with the Jets for the upcoming season. While the Jets and the Packers have been in talks to find a base for negotiations, the trade still remains at a standstill. The Packers are looking at a first-round pick and more in exchange for the 39-year-old four-time MVP. Furthermore, if Rodgers decides to stay one more year prior to this, they want another draft pick in 2025.

Read more: Update: Friction Emerges on Aaron Rodgers Trade as Jets Prepares to Finalize Deal With Green Bay Packers

But the problem that arises is Rodgers’s cap hit. His cap hit for the 2023 season is $31.6 million. If they trade him, the Packers will have a dead cap hit of $40 million. If the Packers decide to pay the guaranteed $59.5 million salary as a part of the trade, then the cap space will further only be reduced and limited for the Packers to make any moves during the trade window.

Packers making cap space for the trade

While the cap space might be an issue in the Aaron Rodgers trade, the team is making its efforts to free up as much cap as possible. They restructured CB Rasul Douglas’ contract, freeing up $3.3 million in cap space. Furthermore, they also restructured linebacker De’Vondre Campbell’s contract on Thursday, freeing up another $2.6 million in cap space. These look like conscious efforts by the team to make sure that the Rodgers trade to the Jets will be viable for them as a team. 

The conclusion to the A-Rod saga is within arm’s reach. The fans will anxiously await the decision on the fate of both the Jets and the Packers, along with Rodgers, in the next few days.

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