NFL 2023 Season

[Donoghus]

Looks like its official.  Eerily similar to Testaverde in '99.

Jonathan Jones
@jjones9
·
1m
Aaron Rodgers's season is now officially over. The MRI has confirmed it's a full tear of the left Achilles, source says.

[Atzar]

I'm no fan of Aaron Rodgers or the New York Jets but that's just sad.

He's turning 40 at the end of the year.  Have to wonder if that's it for him.  That can be a difficult injury to come back from at the best of times. 

[Vermont Green]

Aaron Rodgers signed a 3 year, $112,500,000 contract with the New York Jets, including $75,000,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $37,500,000. In 2023, Rodgers will earn a base salary of $1,838,888, a signing bonus of $35,000,000 and a workout bonus of $50,000, while carrying a cap hit of $8,888,888 and a dead cap value of $74,050,000.

I don't fully understand NFL contracts but the cap hits from Rodgers' contract are (per Spotrac, if I am interpreting correctly):

2023     $8,888,888
2024   $17,161,112
2025   $51,500,000

Of course those 3 values don't add up to $112.5M so there is another $42M or so in years 2026-2028 that I don't understand.  Can anyone explain how this works?  If Rodgers isn't able to play again, what is the financial or cap implications for the Jets?

[Donoghus]

This is hilarious.

David Hill
@davehill77
This is incredible. A Wisconsin bar offered free drinks if the Jets lost. After Rodgers went down, they started running up their tabs. The news was live when the jets won in overtime and everyone realized they had to pay.

Video is embedded in tweet.

https://twitter.com/davehill77/status/1701610014631452775

[Celtics2021]

This is hilarious.

David Hill
@davehill77
This is incredible. A Wisconsin bar offered free drinks if the Jets lost. After Rodgers went down, they started running up their tabs. The news was live when the jets won in overtime and everyone realized they had to pay.

Video is embedded in tweet.

https://twitter.com/davehill77/status/1701610014631452775

I definitely recommend the video for those who haven’t clicked through.  It’s really funny.

[BitterJim]

Aaron Rodgers signed a 3 year, $112,500,000 contract with the New York Jets, including $75,000,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $37,500,000. In 2023, Rodgers will earn a base salary of $1,838,888, a signing bonus of $35,000,000 and a workout bonus of $50,000, while carrying a cap hit of $8,888,888 and a dead cap value of $74,050,000.

I don't fully understand NFL contracts but the cap hits from Rodgers' contract are (per Spotrac, if I am interpreting correctly):

2023     $8,888,888
2024   $17,161,112
2025   $51,500,000

Of course those 3 values don't add up to $112.5M so there is another $42M or so in years 2026-2028 that I don't understand.  Can anyone explain how this works?  If Rodgers isn't able to play again, what is the financial or cap implications for the Jets?

They probably added void years, so some of the bonus gets spread out across those years, but it all will come due as dead cap in 2026 or get added to an extension of he signs one. If he's hurt or retires and gets cut, they wouldn't owe him his salary anymore, but the bonuses (and all future dead cap) would all move up onto that one season's cap sheet (which they possibly/probably can't actually do without exceeding the cap). Losing Rogers this year is especially tough because his low cap hit made it easier to go all in with other players.

NFL contracts make the NBA cap look easy, so it's hard to say exactly what it is without looking more at his particular contract, but in broad strokes bonuses are averaged out over the length of the contract, but the player gets the money up front. And for some contracts they add (fake) "void years" onto the deal to spread out the bonus more, but once the contract expires the void year money moves up onto that year's cap (so it spreads out the bonus' cap hit initially but then causes it to jump up at the end).

[SparzWizard]

This is hilarious.

David Hill
@davehill77
This is incredible. A Wisconsin bar offered free drinks if the Jets lost. After Rodgers went down, they started running up their tabs. The news was live when the jets won in overtime and everyone realized they had to pay.

Video is embedded in tweet.

https://twitter.com/davehill77/status/1701610014631452775

Not a fan of anything Wisconsin- Green Bay Packers or Milwaukee Bucks. At least the bar made money haha.

[SparzWizard]

I'm no fan of Aaron Rodgers or the New York Jets but that's just sad.

He's turning 40 at the end of the year.  Have to wonder if that's it for him.  That can be a difficult injury to come back from at the best of times.

40 years old and an Achilles injury. I think that's it for him. Even if you recover from Achilles you probably won't be the same or lose that dynamic legwork.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

I'm no fan of Aaron Rodgers or the New York Jets but that's just sad.

He's turning 40 at the end of the year.  Have to wonder if that's it for him.  That can be a difficult injury to come back from at the best of times.

I'm no fan of the Jets, or of Rodgers really, but I hate seeing guys get hurt, especially such a big injury. I think that even if he comes back, the combo of age and injury will leave him a shadow of his former self.

[Vermont Green]

I'm no fan of Aaron Rodgers or the New York Jets but that's just sad.

He's turning 40 at the end of the year.  Have to wonder if that's it for him.  That can be a difficult injury to come back from at the best of times.

I'm no fan of the Jets, or of Rodgers really, but I hate seeing guys get hurt, especially such a big injury. I think that even if he comes back, the combo of age and injury will leave him a shadow of his former self.

I like watching great players so Rodgers going down is not good for the NFL overall.  This is of course beneficial to the Patriots.  It probably means one more win, maybe 2.  The Pats aren't going anywhere if they are 1-5 or even 2-4 in the division.  They will need to do more than just beat the Jets, but this does make thing likely easier.

[Donoghus]

Packers get screwed because part of their draft compensation is based on Rodgers playing time.

They needed Rodgers to play 65% of the snaps to convey a 2024 first rounder from the Jets to them.  Now it becomes a 2nd rounder. 

I guess you could argue that the difference might not be terribly big.  A Jets with Rodgers could've conceivably been in the mid 20s while a Rodgers-less Jets pick could conceivably be in the mid-high 30s. 

Regardless, this stings for the Packers also.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

I'm no fan of Aaron Rodgers or the New York Jets but that's just sad.

He's turning 40 at the end of the year.  Have to wonder if that's it for him.  That can be a difficult injury to come back from at the best of times.

I'm no fan of the Jets, or of Rodgers really, but I hate seeing guys get hurt, especially such a big injury. I think that even if he comes back, the combo of age and injury will leave him a shadow of his former self.

I like watching great players so Rodgers going down is not good for the NFL overall.  This is of course beneficial to the Patriots.  It probably means one more win, maybe 2.  The Pats aren't going anywhere if they are 1-5 or even 2-4 in the division.  They will need to do more than just beat the Jets, but this does make thing likely easier.

This should make things a bit easier for New England, but whether it will remains to be seen. The Jets defense is pretty good, from what I hear, and the offense still has some weapons in Hall, Cook, Lazard, and Garrett Wilson.

[Donoghus]

Good luck getting it to happen but I'm all on board with this.

[Roy H.]

God I hate injuries, in any sport.  Rodgers is a bit of a dink, but I would have loved to see what he could do in NY. 

Yes, football is a violent sport.  But, if natural grass would make it safer, it should be mandated. 

[Redz]

Just got a non-news Newsflash on my phone from the Atlantic:  Jets not pursuing Tom Brady.

For real