Jets' Aaron Rodgers Earned NFL-Low $81 in Performance-Based Pay After Achilles Injury

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers made just $81.14 last season as part of the NFL's performance-based pay system, which ranked last among all players.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Rodgers' low payment was a result of a high salary combined with his playing just 0.33 percent of the Jets' snaps last season.

Rodgers suffered a torn Achilles on the Jets' first drive of the 2023 season. He briefly flirted with the idea of returning to the lineup months ahead of schedule but abandoned those plans when New York fell out of the playoff picture.

By contrast, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy nearly doubled his salary, making $739,795 under the player-performance program. Purdy made $985,000 in base salary in 2023 while playing out the second year of his rookie contract.

In total, the NFL paid out $393.8 million in performance-based pay in 2023. The bonuses are designed to reward players who outperform the terms of their contracts.

Rodgers, who took home $36.9 million last season from the Jets, was objectively the least valuable player in the NFL by that measure. He was paid an exorbitant amount and did not even complete a pass before missing the rest of the season.

The Jets have their hopes riding on Rodgers being able to live up to his $38.2 million in earnings he's set for in 2024. If he's due another two-figure payday from the program, odds are there are going to be a lot of changes in New York come 2025.