Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers are two of the greatest quarterbacks in league history. Both will go down in history as two of the greatest players of this era. Both will also go down in history as pioneers, but for different reasons.
Two years ago, Brady signed a two-year, $50 million contract with the Buccaneers, giving the then six-time Super Bowl champion $25 million in annual salary. Brady, who has never earned more than $30 million in a season, added to his already unprecedented in-ring total by helping lead the Buccaneers to Super Bowl victory during his first year in Tampa. Brady cemented his legacy as the NFL’s greatest winner.
A year later, Rodgers left his own, albeit different, legacy by becoming the first NFL player to earn $50 million (Rogers later tweeted that the stated conditions are incorrect). Despite less than half a year of Patrick Mahomes’ mega-deal, Rodgers’ contract has not only solidified but also raised the bar when it comes to earnings for top-division quarterbacks. $40 million is now the minimum when it comes to the annual salary of an elite quarterback; $50 million is the new ceiling. That’s good news for Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow, who is now half of his rookie contract, a contract likely to be terminated next offseason.
What does the Rogers Green Bay deal mean for the current quarterback market? This means that the Packers’ Super Bowl window remains open. The Broncos also opened up their championship window, reportedly working out a deal with Seattle that would bring Russell Wilson to Denver.
Who else is looking?
Teams that still want to level up the quarterback include the Steelers, Seahawks, Falcons, Commanders, Titans and Saints. Seattle, who reportedly acquired Drew Lock in a trade for Wilson, is now also in a strong position for a first-round quarterback pick as it reportedly acquired a 2022 first-round pick from Denver in exchange for Russell.
New Orleans, Tennessee and Pittsburgh might be a little more patient as they currently have placeholders in Tysome Hill, Ryan Tannehill and Mason Rudolph. With that in mind, don’t be surprised if the quarterback market doesn’t get hot before the end of the draft, when teams have a better idea of what their quarterback situation looks like. This could lead to a pretty powerful second wave of free agents during the off-season, which is usually no different.
These teams will have several free agent options, starting with Jameis Winston, Teddy Bridgewater, Mitchell Trubisky and Marcus Mariota. They could also make a deal with Green Bay in exchange for Jordan Love, whose benefit includes sharing the quarterback room with current league MVP each of the past two years.