Aaron Rodgers has already subjected himself to more than $90,000 in fines by not attending mandatory minicamp with the Green Bay Packers. That may seem insignificant to a player who has made more than $200 million on the field alone during his career, but the penalties could increase rapidly in the coming months.
Unless there is a major breakthrough in the dispute between Rodgers and the Packers, the reigning NFL MVP is expected to continue his holdout through the start of training camp next month. Some even expect him to sit out the 2021 season if he is not traded. Should Rodgers go that route, he stands to lose more than $35 million.
Here is the breakdown:
If Aaron Rodgers stays away from the #Packers for the entire 2021 season, he stands to lose:
– $500,000 workout bonus
– $93,085 minicamp fines
– $2.05M training camp fines
– $14.7M base salary lost
– $6.8M roster bonus unpaid
– $11.5M signing bonus recoupedTotal: $35,643,085
— Spotrac (@spotrac) June 11, 2021
If there is truly no changing Rodgers’ mind, allowing him to sit out the entire 2021 season might be the best option for the Packers. That would allow them to recoup a significant amount of money and then trade Rodgers next offseason. He’ll be 38 then, but his value will likely remain the same.
Packers president Mark Murphy has made a couple of unflattering remarks about Rodgers recently. That may be his way of trying to turn the fanbase against Rodgers, or the team may truly be holding its ground. Time will tell.
