Report: Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers close to a deal

Not too long ago we talked about the big issues facing the Green Bay Packers this offseason and the largest issue by far was the contract extension for Aaron Rodgers. Mark Murphy has said that the Aaron Rodgers deal is a priorityand we have been hearing rumors for weeks that the deal is close. Last week all the important players in this ongoing negotiation were in the same place, the league meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, and so it’s not surprising that we are getting a new round of reports that a deal is very close. How close? Jason La Canfora of CBSsports.com is reporting that it could be done before the draft and may even be done in a week or two, but no matter what it will be done this offseason.

Currently both sides have been tight lipped about the details of the contract. David Dunn, Rodgers’ agent, refused to comment during the league meetings about the contract. Rodgers himself has not talked about his contract much even though no one would blame him for being paid less than Joe Flacco. Ted Thompson has been the normal wealth of information he always tends to be this time of year. A few details have come to light about the contract so far. Adam Schefter of ESPN is reporting that the "league-wide speculation" about the deal is that it will be around a four year deal worth $100 million or about $25 million per year.

First things first, let me remind you that all reports around this state that the actual parties negotiating have kept silent and any number being thrown around are pure speculation (hence "league-wide speculation"). Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, this level of contract sounds about right. Rodgers is one of the top three or four quarterbacks in the league and the youngest of the ultra-elite QB’s in the league. His contract is going to reflect this fact. He’s the face of the franchise for the Green Bay Packers and the main reason why they are Super Bowl contenders year in and year out.

The only real question now is how the Packers can structure the deal in the most cap friendly way possible. The good news is that we shouldn’t have to wait too long to find out how Rodgers and the Packers plan to do it.