Never, in the entire history of professional sports has an athlete taken a pay cut of over $30 million to help his current team.
Until now.
With Aaron Rodgers agreeing to a new two-year, $75 million deal with the New York Jets, the future Hall-of-Fame quarterback took a pay cut of over $35 million in guaranteed money to help his team in the present and future. It was a move that no player in sports history has ever done to this point: an even more important mark as the quarterback position continues to be paid more and more by the player. It’s the type of move that will follow Rodgers for the rest of his career as a player doing anything possible to help his team win.
It’s also a clear indication that the quarterback is expecting to be with the Jets for longer than just the 2023 season.
While Rodgers rightfully gets a lot of the praise for a move like this, the Jets themselves should also be commended. For decades Gang Green was considered to be a place that no star would ever want to be. A place where misery always had company, and a place where losing was as common as the sun coming up.
In three short seasons with Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas at the helm, the team has transformed both on and off the field as an organization that is to be respected across the NFL landscape.
It’s what attracted Rodgers to New York in the first place. The quarterback has repeatedly stated how impressed he is with the Jets’ coaching staff, and how they’ve built a strong culture that will soon culminate in victories. Their strength as leaders has made Rodgers so comfortable that he has also essentially committed to more than one season: making their blockbuster trade of a first-round pick in the offseason all but a necessary move.
Adding veterans Rodgers is familiar with like Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb certainly help as well.
Rodgers did not have to take this pay cut. He could have restructured his deal in a way that would give him the same guaranteed money over a longer period of time through the use of void years on his contract. By him choosing to do so though, it shows his commitment not just to what the Jets are building, but also to what the team is looking to do for the future.
And as the Jets have shown over the last few months, they are more than willing to put their faith that the 39-year-old quarterback still has plenty left in the tank.
Time will tell if the team’s gamble with an aging Hall-of-Famer pays off but it’s clear that both sides have continued to enjoy the honeymoon stage of the relationship. Now comes the hardest part: getting victories together.
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