National Football League

Aaron Rodgers denies he wants to be $50 million king of QBs

Updated Feb. 28, 2022 3:29 p.m. ET

Last week, news surfaced that Aaron Rodgers had informed teams he'd be soliciting a hefty salary sum for his next contract.

The asking price: $50 million per year, which would easily place the Packers' QB at the top of the league's highest paid players.

The report was first unveiled by ESPN's Diana Russini, who explained Rodgers' wishes Thursday on "The Rich Eisen Show."

"From the conversations I’ve had with a lot of people in the league, he wants to be the highest-paid player in the NFL by a wide margin," Russini said. "We are talking about $50 million a year. That is what I was told. I was told that is around the number he is looking for per year."

But Friday, Rodgers set the record straight himself, calling the claims "categorically false."

His statement came in a response to a text message from former NFL punter Pat McAfee, a close friend of Rodgers whose talk show the QB regularly appears on.

McAfee disclosed their brief conversation on "The Pat McAfee Show," adding that several analysts, including FOX Sports' Nick Wright and Greg Jennings, took the fake report and ran with it, while falsely painting Rodgers as an "a**hole."

Jennings did call his former teammate "selfish" last week on "First Things First", reflecting on a personal experience in which Rodgers told him not to seek more money in his contract extension.

For Aaron Rodgers, all of a sudden, it's about the money

Greg Jennings reacts to reports of Rodgers allegedly wanting to be the highest paid quarterback in the league.

But Monday, Jennings took on a different posture, saying that it was good news to hear Rodgers labeling the previous claims false.

"It's good to hear that this is false, and you see them moving around money," Jennings said.

Aaron Rodgers' future is based on the pieces around him

Despite sources circulating of four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers wanting $50 million a year, the Green Bay Packers' quarterback has denied it.

If they are indeed untruthful, Rodgers might be pleasantly moved by recent moves his team has made, like restructuring three-time Pro Bowl tackle David Bakhtiari's deal to free up cap space. The Packers also brought in Rodgers' former QB coach, Tom Clements.

But perhaps the biggest needle-shifter in Rodgers' decision has yet to come to terms with G.B., and that's Davante Adams.

Rodgers has gone public with refutes of his "desired" salary, but he's yet to specify the number he's actually after.

Which still begs the question: Can Green Bay afford to keep both of its star offensive weapons in town?