NFL Talk - 2008

[Speng]

Packers extend Rodgers' contract through 2014
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/33650499.html
Green Bay - Quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ impressive performance in seven starts was enough for the Green Bay Packers to sign him Friday to a lucrative contract through the 2014 season.

Rodgers signed the deal after practice at about 1 p.m. Terms were not disclosed.

“I’m very excited knowing that my future is going to be here in Green Bay,” Rodgers said. “I appreciate the commitment they’ve made to me. Hopefully, I can prove to them that they made the correct decision to give me this extension.”

Rodgers, 24, signed a five-year, $7.66 million contract in August 2005 after being the 24th selection in the first round. He was playing under his existing contract, which included a base salary of $1.052 million in both 2008 and ’09, although his ’09 base salary would have increased substantially because of an escalator clause.

But the Packers, with $19.994 million of room under the salary cap, had seen all they needed to see.

“We think he’s a good player and we’ve thought that for some time,” Packers general manager Ted Thompson said. “We think this is a good long-term investment for the organization.”

Is Rodgers a worthy successor to Brett Favre?

“I don’t know if I’m going to compare him to anybody,” said Thompson. “We just think he’s going to be a very good NFL quarterback.

“We’re looking at it from a longer view rather than just the last two months. I do think he’s gone in and played the games well. He’s had good command of the huddle. He has handled the chaos of an NFL game pretty well.

“We think he will continue to develop in his craft.”

Rodgers has a 98.8 passer rating, which ranks eighth in the National Football League. His predecessor, Favre, ranks 14th at 89.5 with the New York Jets.

Certainly, the contracts signed by quarterbacks Tony Romo and David Garrard with the Dallas Cowboys and Jacksonville Jaguars, respectively, weighed on negotiations between the Packers and David Dunn, the agent for Rodgers.

Romo had 17 starts under his belt in October 2007 when he signed a six-year extension worth $67.5 million.

Garrard had started 30 games in his first six seasons when, in early April, he signed a six-year extension worth $57.95 million.

“There have been some talks off and on for the last few weeks,” said Rodgers. “It’s exciting to get this done and to know my future is secure here in Green Bay for a while.”

Rodgers undoubtedly endeared himself to the organization by not missing any time after suffering a sprained right shoulder Sept. 28 against Tampa Bay.