Questions about Aaron Rodgers' contract will persist until a deal is done to keep the new Milwaukee Bucks minority owner in Green Bay for the long haul.
New Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said Thursday on NBC Sports that he believes a new contract will get done "soon."
"Both sides are working towards it and we're confident we'll come to an agreement soon," he said, via Pro Football Talk.
"Soon," in this case, feels like a relative term.
Gutekunst spoke similarly during the NFL combine, which came before Kirk Cousins reset the QB market. With fewer signal-callers left in line to get paid, Rodgers' contract could be coming into focus.
Green Bay was expected to wait and see what the Falcons did with Matt Ryan's new deal before taking their own talks to the next level. On cue, Atlanta signed Ryan on Thursday to a five-year extension worth $30 million annually.
With Ryan's deal done, we should expect a new contract for Rodgers before the start of the season, assuming there are no hang-ups.
"We're pretty confident that this is something that's taking its normal course, its normal time," Gutekunst said.
Rodgers is under contract for the next two seasons at a bargain rate of about $20-21 million per year. The Packers could then wield the franchise tag the following two seasons, giving them control -- and leverage -- for the next four years. Green Bay's GM, however, doesn't make it sound like he expects it to come to that hardball tactic.
