Aaron Rodgers on New Packers Contract: 'I'm Not Trying to Screw Them'

As Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers continue to work toward what figures to be an extremely lucrative contract, the veteran quarterback is keeping the best interest of the team in mind at the negotiating table.

"I'm not trying to screw them," Rodgers said on ESPN Wisconsin's Wilde and Tausch on Monday, via NFL.com's Jeremy Bergman. "This is a partnership. The only way this is going to work and the best way for this to work is that we're in this together."

The former first-round pick still has two years remaining on the five-year, $110 million deal he signed back in 2013. He is set to make $19.8 million in 2018, per Spotrac. That previous contract is something he believes has been a win-win.

"If you ask the team about the last deal that we did, and you ask me, both sides are happy," Rodgers added. "They paid me a lot of money and never had a major salary-cap year."

When he signed his last deal, Rodgers became the highest-paid player in league history, making an average of $22 million per season. However, his average annual salary has been repeatedly topped since then, with Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan setting the market earlier this offseason with a five-year, $150 million extension.

Even at 34 years old, Rodgers should be able to ask for pretty much anything he wants in a new contract. He is a six-time Pro Bowler, a two-time league MVP and a former Super Bowl MVP. His value was never more apparent than last year, when he was limited to just seven games due to a collarbone injury. Green Bay started the 2017 season 4-1 but finished the campaign 3-8 after he was injured in Week 6.

Now, the two sides continue to try to get a deal done.

Rodgers found himself in the news this offseason after he let it be known he thought the team should have consulted him before letting quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt go. The player-team relationship didn't seem to get any better when the Packers released Rodgers' longtime friend Jordy Nelson in March. Rodgers recently called out the "piss poor" effort by the current Green Bay receiving corps.

Nobody would blame Rodgers if he let this offseason's moves impact his approach to negotiations. However, if he wants to add more Super Bowl rings to his collection, he will have to look at the big picture for the sake of the team—and that's exactly what he appears to be doing.