Did Patriots' Tom Brady debacle play a hand in Aaron Rodgers' new contract with Packers?

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the team have reportedly agreed to a long-term extension: a 4-year, $200M deal that makes him the highest-paid player in NFL history, sources say. He gets a whopping $153M guaranteed, and his cap number goes down.

Back in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Packers drafted quarterback Jordan Love. He was expected to be Rodgers' heir apparent, but Love didn’t see the field in his rookie season.

In the 2021 season, Love started one game back in Week Nine on the road versus the Kansas City Chiefs, going 19 of 34 for 190 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

Since Green Bay drafted Love in 2020, Rodgers has won back-to-back NFL MVP awards and has thrown for 8,414 yards, 85 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.

The re-signing of the Packers quarterback is similar to that of the New England Patriots drafting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Garoppolo was selected to be quarterback Tom Brady's successor, who was then 37 years old.

In the 2014 season, Brady led the Patriots to a victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 49. He played another five seasons with New England after the 2014 season, winning an NFL MVP award at the age of 40 with the team.

Brady won two more Lombardi Trophies with the Patriots (2016 and 2018), along with four more Pro Bowl appearances.

After leaving New England, he went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, starting in the 2020 season. That season, Tampa Bay won the Super Bowl, which was Brady’s seventh and final Lombardi Trophy.

In his two seasons with the Buccaneers, the five-time Super Bowl MVP threw for 9,949 yards, 83 touchdowns, and 24 interceptions.

What happens to Aaron Rodgers’ Heir Apparent, Jordan Love?

Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love

Given that the reported new deal for the Green Bay quarterback lasts for four years, what will the Packers do? There’s a chance that the team could do what the Patriots did in October 2017 -- trade the heir apparent.

New England shipped Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers as the 49ers gave New England their second-round pick in the 2018 Draft. If the two situations are similar, Love could be on the move himself in the near future.