Rodgers contract for 2023 is nuts, the Packers will take a massive dead cap hit no matter what due to his base salary being $1.2 million and his signing bonus being $58 million?
From the PackersWire:
The timing of when this trade occurs is very important as well. From a salary cap perspective for the acquiring team, trading for Rodgers is actually quite reasonable, with the Packers still being on the hook for his signing bonus. Green Bay, meanwhile, would incur a roughly $40 million dead cap hit – money that stays on the books even if Rodgers is playing elsewhere – if Rodgers is traded before June 1st. If traded after June 1st, the Packers take roughly a $15 million dead cap hit in 2023 and $24 million in 2024.
So if traded after June 1st in 2023, it is possible that the Packers’ trade partner could be without a 2024 first-round pick (and likely more), and Rodgers could potentially retire at that point as well, leaving the acquiring team without a quarterback again, and this time no early round pick(s).
This example is a prime reason why I’m not so sure that other teams will be lining up to offer Green Bay whatever they want.