After the Green Bay Packers finished their first training camp practice on Thursday, everyone wanted to ask Aaron Rodgers about his proposed contract situation.
Big surprise.
Rodgers told the assembled masses that he’s focused on the team and not a new deal.
“I think they’ve talked about it enough that there’s an expectation something would have been done,” Rodgers said. “Obviously judging by the questions here there’s kind of an expectation before we started. But I’m just trusting [agent] Dave [Dunn]. That’s why he’s representing me, he has my best interest in mind. They’re taking care of those conversations, and I’m focused on this team and being a leader.”
It’s interesting that Rodgers noted the expectation that a new deal would be in place already. The Packers’ brass — general manager Brian Gutekunst and president Mark Murphy — have both stated they expected a deal soon, in months past.
Then, on Wednesday, Murphy changed his tune, saying there is no timetable for a new deal. That’s pretty much a 180 from what we were being told since February.
I won’t suggest these negotiations are going nowhere, but Rodgers appears in no hurry to sign a new deal. And if one doesn’t get done before the regular season starts, you shouldn’t expect one until December. That’s when the Packers seem to traditionally start to pick things up on the contract extension front again.
The good news is, things haven’t become contentious, nor would we expect them to.
“They’re obviously more than willing to talk about an extension,” Rodgers said. “There wasn’t any animosity on either side.”
The smart bet for Rodgers is to play out this year and then re-sign. He’ll have much more leverage going into the final year of his deal.
And maybe he’ll be motivated to re-prove his worth on the field this year.