It appears that the Aaron Rodgers saga of the offseason has reached a conclusion with the starting quarterback reportedly returning to the Green Bay Packers for the 2021 season.
According to reports from both NFL Network and ESPN, Rodgers has softened his stance against the Packers and will return for the upcoming season, but his future beyond that is unknown.
Some of the concessions being made, according to ESPN, include voiding the final year of Rodgers' contract (2023), adjusting the current contract to provide Green Bay more cap space in 2021 and re-evaluating the situation at the end of the season.
It's the latest turn in a story that's dragged all offseason, but one that's picked up steam in recent days.
Earlier in the week, sportsbooks took lines down amid rumors that Rodgers would announce his retirement this week. Others adjusted betting lines making the Minnesota Vikings the favorites to win the NFC North.
On Monday, the Packers were as long as +2800 to win the Super Bowl at DraftKings. After NFL Network's original report about Rodgers returning, that number jumped to +1400.
FanDuel left Green Bay's win total at 9.5 during the retirement rumors, with the under juiced to -150. That flipped to over -150 on Monday before jumping to 10 wins at -110 each way.
"People have been playing an uninformed guessing game when it comes to Aaron Rodgers the past few weeks in particular,” said PointsBet trader Jay Croucher. “From a futures perspective, today's news nets as essentially a wash for the book given the Vikings and Bears NFC North money from bettors who believed he was gone, versus the Packers money at a more favorable price from bettors who believed this was all speculation."
The Packers meet the Saints in Week 1, which has also seen a line adjustment. At FanDuel, the Saints were -2.5 while others stuck with -3. That is now at Saints -1 (+100). There's no total posted for the game.
That game remains off the board at DraftKings and PointsBet.
Rodgers returning to Green Bay is obviously needed, but it's even more imperative for the Packers to have a chance considering their schedule. According to The Action Networks' strength of schedule ratings, only six teams have a more difficult schedule this year than Green Bay.
In addition to games against the NFC North, the Packers will face the Rams, Seahawks, Browns, Steelers, Washington, Arizona, San Francisco, Cincinnati, New Orleans and Kansas City.
