With the power struggle continuing between Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, both sides are running out of time and options.
Rodgers skipped the Packers' mandatory minicamp last month but gave the team the option to fine him for his absence. Those fines could grow leading up to the start of training camp on July 27 as Rodgers may have to play or risk losing most of his $18.3 million salary.
With the Packers unwilling to trade Rodgers, the only way out could be if the star quarterback retires. But Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio presented another possibility where Rodgers takes advantage of a loophole in a letter agreement between the NFL and the NFL Players Association for the 2021 season.
According to Florio, the NFL and NFL Players Association drafted a letter on Tuesday which grants broad powers to all players to opt-out of the 2021 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This option is available regardless of whether the player opted out of the 2020 season or has been diagnosed with a higher risk condition since Oct. 1, 2020, and comes with "no questions asked as to motivation or qualification or possible ulterior motive."
This option could be clutch for Rodgers, who would get to stick it to the Packers while keeping his salary for next season. It also sounds like a no-brainer as he could spend time with his new fiancée and host Jeopardy.
But the catch is that players have until next Friday, July 2 to decide if they want to opt out. The decision is also final and would toll this year's contract, giving the Packers an extra season of control through the 2024 season.
But with Rodgers likely to want out of Green Bay as soon as possible, sucking it up and playing one last season for Brian Gutekunst may be his best option. Whatever his decision, it will have a huge bearing on the Vikings' plans to recapture the NFC North in 2021.
