Amid a months-long negotiating process with the Packers, Aaron Rodgers confirmed several types of contracts have surfaced during these talks. The two-time MVP has been linked to wanting a deal structure that provides more freedom for him, and the Packers may not be on board with that just yet. But Rodgers remains intent on spending his entire career in Green Bay.
“We’ve talked about a number of different types of deals. There’s obviously mutual interest on both sides in keeping me in Green Bay for the duration,” Rodgers said, via Albert Breer of SI.com. “That’s definitely what you want as a player. You see the rarity of it in sports, and you think about guys like Kobe (Bryant), guys like Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, who spent entire career with one organization, Tommy (Brady) in New England. It’s very rare. That would be the goal.”
The 14th-year quarterback broached the subject of his contract being a trend-setting agreement.
“As far as setting a trend or breaking down things, it’s great for the game and its players, for sure, when Kirk (Cousins) does a deal like he did,” Rodgers said of Cousins’ fully guaranteed Vikings deal. “The reality is, there’s not many teams that would do that, first of all. And there aren’t many teams that would do it for more than three years. So at some point, there are going to be contracts that will continue to extend that, and there’s been guys who’ve done it over the years, who’ve done monumental things, whether it’s Reggie White in free agency, that make a difference for the next generation. That’s something you can have as part of your legacy.”
- Brian Gutekunst made a more concerted effort to bring in veterans to help the Rodgers-centered team win now, but Breer doesn’t get the sense the Packers believe time is running out to maximize this rare window. “I’d say this: He’s a young 34,” Mike McCarthy told Breer. “He had the first three years to sit behind Brett (Favre), and if you look at him physically, the last three, four years, he’s clearly in the best shape of his career.” Rodgers reiterated playing until he’s 40 is the “minimum” in terms of longevity he’s seeking, and he specified the baseline (as of now) he’d consider as his last year would be 2024 — when he’d turn 41 late that season.
- Don’t expect the Vikings‘ kicker battle to end early. Minnesota will put incumbent Kai Forbath and fifth-round rookie Daniel Carlson in pressure situations during camp and will assess their standing during the early portion of preseason play, per Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter), before considering jettisoning one of them.
- Giovani Bernard profiles as an under-the-radar extension candidate, Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes. The Bengals already have their passing-down back signed through 2019 and drafted Joe Mixon in Round 2 last year, but Owczarski could see the Bengals approaching the 27-year-old Bernard with an extension proposal before the running back market reshapes after the Todd Gurley re-up.
- The Browns worked out offensive lineman Jordan McCray over the weekend, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com tweets. Jordan is the twin brother of Packers lineman Justin McCray.