After reports surfaced that Aaron Rodgers would be inking a deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, fans were interested to see how much he would sign for. Rodgers went on record this offseason when he told Pat McAfee he would be willing to play for '10 M's'. But would the four-time MVP quarterback really be willing to sign a contract this far under market value?
The $10 million in average annual earnings would come in lower than Russell Wilson's latest deal with the New York Giants and make him just the 24th-highest-paid quarterback in the NFL, per Over the Cap. Compared to players like Trevor Lawrence at $55 million per season or Brock Purdy and Tua Tagovailoa at $53 million per year, this would be a steal.
It turns out, Rodgers may not have been lying when he said he would play for cheap.
Though we still don't know the exact contract figures as of Friday morning, the latest report from Steelers Insider Gerry Dulac suggests that Rodgers was always going to play for under $20 million per season.
This technically means the number could still come in at $19 million and change, but even if it does, it's a far cry from the $25-$35 million media members predicted before his signing.
Aaron Rodgers is here to play competitive football for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Aaron Rodgers has made more money in his career than most folks could ever dream of, so I do believe him when he says it's not about the money. At this stage of his career, the 41-year-old quarterback wants to leave one final stamp on the league and potentially cement himself as a top-five quarterback in the history of the game (something that isn't out of reach with the right season).
His motivation to win is no doubt why there were reports Rodgers was holding out hope for the Minnesota Vikings to sign him—a team that went 14-3 last year and has some excellent weapons in place.
Despite his age and the fact that he only led the New York Jets to a 4-13 record last season, Rodgers will be, by far, the best quarterback option the Pittsburgh Steelers have had since Ben Roethlisberger. He showed last year that he still possesses plenty of arm talent, and on a better organization, he could help Pittsburgh be somewhat competitive.
If Aaron Rodgers' contract figures come in at just under $20 million, that's nothing to scoff at. But the fact that he's taken an affordable deal shows that he didn't sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the money.