Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has three years left on his current contract, but he’s grossly underpaid when you compare his performance and salary to the other top quarterbacks in the league.
That means the Packers are going to have to pony up at some point and we now know where the bar is set. New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees agreed to a five-year, $100 million deal on Friday. He’s getting $60 million guaranteed in the first three years and $22 million in other guarantees. Brees will get $40 million in the first year of the deal.
The Saints just handed Brees the biggest amount of guaranteed money in NFL history. He’s also getting an average of $20 million per year.
Rodgers, the reigning NFL MVP, has base salaries of $8 million, $9.25 million and $10.5 million in the next three seasons, respectively.
You can argue all you want about whether Brees or Rodgers is the superior quarterback, but one thing is for sure. Their production and talent levels are close enough that their contracts should be similar, as well.
Drew Brees just made Aaron Rodgers a very, very rich man.