Aaron Rodgers did not make his debut during the Hall of Fame game on Thursday night. But the 4X MVP was mic’d up for a sideline interview, as he watched the rookies showcase their talents in the first preseason game of 2023. Zach Wilson had a good game and visibly impressed HC Robert Saleh and fans with his skills. But there is still some time before Aaron Rodgers actually suits up for his Big Apple debut after 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers.

While the New York Jets battled it out with the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night’s HOF game, Aaron Rodgers revealed the factors that led to him accepting a $35 million pay cut. And he went on to state three specific reasons that influenced his decision to take one for the team. 

So why did Aaron Rodgers take the pay cut?

A few days ago, the 4X MVP QB spoke with Peter Schrager. During the interview, A-Rod talked about how as a kid “growing up in a small town”, he always wanted to be in a big city. And now, Aaron Rodgers is fulfilling that dream in New York, as he gears up for his debut season in the Big Apple. One concern for the Jets during his trade was restructuring his contract. Earlier, the 39-year-old was to make around $107 million in 2024. But the team finally managed to restructure a contract that worked highly in favor of the Jets. So why did the 4X MVP go for such a big sacrifice?

While speaking during the game on Thursday night, Aaron Rodgers revealed the three reasons why he decided it was worth the $35 million sacrifice. The 39-year-old said that he “loves” the team, he “loves” all the players in the Jets, and talked about how “we got to love men and women that work for the organization.” These three reasons were the core of his decision to take a massive pay cut. Rodgers went on to talk about how playing in a new team for the first time is a “big time change”, and people have two options during such massive changes. You either “resist it” or you make it through by “surrendering to the process”. Aaron Rodgers then further went on to elaborate on how he believes in HC Robert Saleh, and how he himself is “just a cog in the wheel”.

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This comes after the 4X MVP recently was successful in renegotiating his contract with the Jets.

Rodgers has a new contract in place

Earlier, the QB was set to make just $1.165 million this year, while being due around $107 million in 2024. But with his new contract in place, it looks like the 39-year-old is looking to spend more than one season in New York. He signed a 2-year $75 million guaranteed contract, saving the Jets nearly $35 million over the time frame of his contract. Apart from this, the contract includes no-franchise tags and no-trade clauses. This eases up the financial burden that the team was carrying earlier into next year. Not only this, but the new contract also seems to assure that the 4X MVP is looking to be in New York for more than one season. 

As the team breathes a sigh of relief over the contract dilemma, fans will now be waiting in anticipation to see how well the 4X MVP performs in his debut season with the team. 

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