Aaron Rodgers Confirms Packers Return, Denies ‘Inaccurate’ $200M Contract Rumors

Aaron Rodgers is returning to Green Bay in 2022—he just hasn't finalized the terms on a new contract.

Yet.

Rodgers took to social media Tuesday to deny reports of a four-year, $200 million deal while affirming his decision to return for an 18th season with the Packers.

Pat McAfee previously reported—almost certainly via Rodgers—that the terms of the deal floating around social media were inaccurate.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the alleged terms, which would make Rodgers the highest-paid player in league history annually. 

The Packers will need Rodgers to reach terms on a new contract if they hope to build a Super Bowl contender around him. He's carrying an onerous $46.7 million cap hit for the 2022 season—an unsustainable number for a team that's $50.6 million over the cap.

With Davante Adams coming back on the franchise tag, there's no world in which the Packers get under the cap with a championship-caliber team without a new deal in place. An extension could save Green Bay up to $21.1 million in cap space. 

It is theoretically possible the Packers and Rodgers simply tack on void years to the end of his contract as a pseudo extension. That said, it's much more likely a framework of what's been reported is accurate—just not fully agreed upon at this very moment.

Rodgers has developed an increasingly contentious relationship with media over the course of the last year, and it's possible he's taking this as a chance to push against what he perceives as "fake news."

In the end, it would be a massive surprise—and an on-field misfire—if there's not an extension in place by the time the new league year starts next Wednesday.