Even better, the Steelers play the NFC North again this year. Green Bay plays at Pittsburgh the day after Christmas.
Correction: the above should read “it’s getting harder and harder for me to NOT justify the organization cutting their losses…”
Hmm, if the Packers only win one game next season, that would be the one I pick.
Not that I disagree, but that game is late in the season. I figure that there are pretty good odds that Rodgers and the Steelers have a very messy falling-out, or he gets injured, before then.
In a move which has been expected for a while, the Packers are releasing cornerback Jaire Alexander. He was their best defensive back for a number of years (twice a second-team All Pro), but between injuries and a brief suspension, he missed most of three of the last four seasons.
The Packers reportedly attempted to trade Alexander this spring, prior to the draft, and then tried to rework his contract after the draft, but with no success.
Here’s the contract details for Rodgers.
Aaron Rodgers said in April that he would play in 2025 for $10 million. He’ll get more than that — at least $3.65 million more and up to $9.5 million more.
It’s still not known how Rodgers can pump up his pay from $13.65 million to $19.5 million. There’s talk that one factor to unlock the maximum package is winning the Super Bowl.
My favorite part.
The full amount, if he earns it, will still be less than what Justin Fields will make this year ($20 million).
Between the Rodgers news and the Alexander news, this is a solid weekend of news for Bears fans.
Agreed. Though I have to admit that with the Steelers track record of managing nutcases, him getting hurt or getting benched for sucking seems the more likely outcome.
I was watching the noon news on a local Chicago station (WGN); they had a teaser before a commercial break (and before they ran a story on Alexander’s release) saying something like “a surprising move by a Bears rival today.” Which is, of course, quite inaccurate – it’s been clear that they have been looking to part ways with Alexander for at least a year. The only “surprise” was that it took this long.
Justin Tucker has been suspended for the first 10 weeks of the season. I’d prefer an arrest, but this seems about right for league punishment.
He’s most likely done in the NFL. Partly because of the accusations but mostly because he started to suck.
He definitely had a bad year in '24, and wasn’t as good as he historically had been in '22 or '23, either.
Brandon McManus (another kicker) landed a job with the Packers last year, after finishing his suspension for similar accusations, but the accusations against McManus weren’t as numerous as those against Tucker, and a lawsuit filed by his accusers was said, by all parties, to have been “resolved” around the time he came off of his suspension.
But, that said, there are 32 NFL teams, and in any given year, there are 3 to 5 teams which lack NFL-caliber placekickers, and wind up cycling through guys looking for someone who has a hot hand (foot?). Depending on whether any additional charges, allegations, or lawsuits get filed against Tucker in the meantime, I wouldn’t be surprised if some desperate team signs him late in the season.
And fuck them if they do.
There might be 10 teams that wouldn’t sign him on principle, and another 20 who will think the bad PR isn’t worth his declining skills. But that still leaves two teams, and all it takes is one.
Definitely agreed. Historically, the Raiders have been one of the teams who will happily take on talented but problematic players.
Heck, I was a little surprised by the Packers signing McManus last fall – they were in desperate need of a reliable kicker, but they’re usually one of the “wouldn’t sign him on principle” teams.
I have no faith in the morals of NFL teams. Old kickers are expensive and therefore expendable. There are much cheaper options that will have a better than 73%
Field Goal percentage at 36 years old. Even at that age he would be a lock to be brought back if his last season wasn’t so bad. Kickers age like milk not like wine. It’s not like he declined a little. He fell off a cliff. From one of the best all time to just about the worst last season.
There are some interesting articles out there about his kicking issues. One analysis I’ve seen basically says it’s a combination of how hard he kicks and his age. A small slow down in his motion due to age throws off the trajectory. For someone who has worked for decades on the muscle memory to do the same exact thing every time it may not be possible to effectively change.
At this point it’s impossible to predict how desperate a team may be at the end of next season or how many kickers go down throughout the year. It’s certainly a possibility that a team may take a chance on him.
Same with the Browns. And as a bonus, maybe he and Watson can trade stories.
The Browns currently have kicker Dustin Hopkins, who had a terrible year last year. Maybe they’ll consider Tucker if they need to move on. I kind of like the idea of keeping the worst guys in the league in one place if they aren’t willing to ban them.
When I was growing up, that place was called “Dallas.”
Jerry Jones definitely has a fondness for “bad boys”.
It’s worth noting that McManus had just turned 32 when the Packers signed him. Tucker is going to be 36 this season. Baggage aside, Tucker is definitely in the “fall off a cliff” stage of his career while McManus should be expected to give at least 3-4 years of top-level play.
Normally I’d expect NFL teams to do the worst possible thing in every situation, but with Tucker I’d bet against it. Yes, he’s probably the GOAT kicker, which should obviously help him land a gig, but between his age, marked decline, and most importantly the stink of the DeShaun Watson signing, I think he’s most likely done. You can’t overstate how much the Watson fiasco will influence this, and I’m not talking about the bad press. Watson has been awful on the field and awful in the locker room. We don’t know how much of that was inevitable, versus how much of that is a side effect of the distractions and his state of mind following the crimes, but teams aren’t necessarily going to “trust the talent” in similar situations.
The Steelers and Dolphins made a significant trade today, with Miami sending CB Jalen Ramsey and TE Jonnu Smith to Pittsburgh for S Minkah Fitzpatrick (who was originally drafted by the Dolphins); the teams also exchanged late-round 2027 draft choices in the deal.
And, in other Pittsburgh news, edge rusher TJ Watt skipped OTAs and minicamp, due to being unhappy with his contract situation (his current contract expires after this season); it’s rumored that several teams may be interested to see if Watt might be available.
Since the Steelers got Rodgers, it’s only fair the Packers get Watt, right?