The Packers are playing a risky game with Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers was due a $6.8 million roster bonus on the third day of the league year this past weekend.
It would’ve been a great time for the Packers to restructure his contract.
By doing so, they’d be pushing some of that money into the future to save now with the salary cap dipping this season.
That would allow the Packers to aggressively pursue what’s left of the free agent market to build a roster around Rodgers for another Super Bowl run.
Instead, they did nothing.
And by doing nothing, they said everything.
Paying Rodgers now opens the door for them to not pay him later.
If they trade him after this season, they save $22 million against the salary cap.
At that point, they can roll with Jordan Love.
Other than the obvious problems with that logic, here’s another one: what if Rodgers takes things into his own hands before then?
What if he decides to hold out of the offseason program or hold out of training camp?
Now, you’re inhibiting the growth of Love and you’ve got an irritated starter on what’s basically a lame duck contract when he’s coming off of an MVP season.
Does that sound like a winning recipe to you?
Brian Gutekunst wants to have his cake and eat it, too.
In a perfect world, I think he’d want Rodgers to win his 2nd ring this year only to ship him out of town.
It’s a major, major dice roll.
We’ll see in the next 10 months or so if the gamble pays off.