Report: Aaron Rodgers, Packers Negotiating Contract Worth $33M Annually

Aaron Rodgers is likely to become the highest-paid quarterback in league history and reportedly will average roughly $33 million per year in his contract extension, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

Rapoport believes a deal is likely to get done this summer before training camp, noting "Rodgers was always going to be last of the quarterback deals."

Matt Ryan's five-year, $150 million extension with the Atlanta Falcons—which made him the first player in NFL history to average $30 million per season—set the market for Rodgers.

Rodgers, 34, has earned the right to wait out the market. The six-time Pro Bowler, two-time MVP, two-time first-team All-Pro and one-time Super Bowl champion is arguably football's best quarterback. He's shown few signs of slowing down, throwing for 1,675 yards, 16 touchdowns and six interceptions in seven games last season—though a broken collarbone cut his year short.

In 2016, he threw for 4,428 yards, 40 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus ranked Rodgers as the third-best player in football in 2016, behind only New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald.

With a healthy Rodgers, the Packers are a Super Bowl contender. Without him, they aren't a playoff team—or at least weren't in 2017. 

They should be dangerous again in 2018, as tight end Jimmy Graham joins wideouts Davante Adams and Randall Cobb as primary targets. Jordy Nelson's absence will be felt, but it should be mitigated since Adams established himself as a top receiver in 2017 and Graham is an excellent option in the red zone and over the middle. 

But the key will be Rodgers and his health. If he's under center, the Packers are a major threat to win the NFC. That impact is why he's likely to earn the highest average salary in NFL history this summer.