Packers expecting to rework more contracts before start of 2021 season
The Green Bay Packers are expecting to address several more contract situations, including with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, before the start of the 2021 season as general manager Brian Gutekunst attempts to navigate an increasingly tricky salary cap situation within a two-year window.
“It’s very important for us to work through the next two years to get this salary cap thing right,” Gutekunst said Monday during his pre-draft press conference. “We will have to address many contracts over the next 4-5 months to get under the cap for the season, and that’s certainly one (Rodgers’ deal) we will probably address as well.”
The Packers reworked or restructured contracts of seven different veteran players this offseason, helping Gutekunst keep his roster together after going 13-3 each of the last two seasons. Deals for Rodgers and receiver Davante Adams remain untouched, providing additional opportunities to clear cap space in 2021 and 2022.
Rodgers has a 2021 cap number of $37.1 million, the highest in the NFL. Adams’ current deal expires after the 2021 season. Reworking deals and pushing money to future years can help lessen the load on the cap this year, although the Packers are going to be tight against the cap again in 2022.
“We’re going to be in the same situation next year as we are this year, we’re trying to push more money to field our team,” Gutekunst said. “We had to do a lot of things to bring guys back this year. We’ll have to do that again. We’re not done by any means yet. We’re working through that with a number of players, including Aaron.”
The Packers may be working on a long-term extension with Rodgers, who Gutekunst said will be the team’s quarterback for the “foreseeable future.”
Other veteran players could be asked to restructure deals to create cap space after the draft and before the start of the season. According to Over the Cap, the Packers are $2.6 million under the cap currently, but the team still needs to sign the draft class and have money to operate during the season.
“We’re going to have to do probably a few things with different contracts as we head towards the season and into the season to make sure our salary cap situation not only this year but into 2022 is square. We’re not done yet. We’ve done a lot to get here, and we’ve been doing things as we go, and we’ll continue to do that as we go.”
The Packers went into the offseason with a goal of keeping the roster intact and present another opportunity to contend for a Super Bowl in 2021, and Gutekunst wasn’t worried about making aggressive moves outside the Packers’ general operating procedure.
“We certainly did a lot of, maybe a little outside what we normally do as far as pushing money forward to continue to keep this team together so we can make another run,” Gutekunst said.
Related
Brian Gutekunst says Aaron Rodgers will be Packers QB for 'foreseeable future'
PFF ranks Packers roster in NFL's top 5 entering 2021 draft
List
All the moves the Packers made to get under the salary cap to start 2021
