Aaron Rodgers Made Just $81.14 in the NFL’s Performance-Based Pay System Last Season: Report

Aaron Rodgers ended up at the very bottom of the NFL’s performance-based pay system.

The star quarterback, whose debut season with the New York Jets ended just minutes after it started thanks to an injury, raked in just $81.14 across all games, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter. He ranked dead last in earnings from the league’s system.

As Schefter phrased it on X (formerly Twitter), the pay system “rewards all NFL players based on their play time and base salary.”

"If a player has a low base salary but plays a significant number of snaps, he earns more through the system,” the reporter explained. 

Rodgers, 40, signed a two-year, $75 million contract with the Jets last July, NFL Network and ESPN reported at the time, making his case a bit unusual — he has a high base salary but played just a handful of snaps during the 2023 season.

“With Rodgers having the opposite — a high salary and playing just 0.33% of snaps due to his torn Achilles — his total amount came to $81.14,” Schefter explained.

By comparison, another quarterback, the San Francisco 49ers’ Brock Purdy, practically doubled his total pay through the system last season, CBS Sports reported.

With a base salary of $870,000, Purdy, 24, is the league's lowest-paid starting quarterback. But through the performance-based pay system, the Super Bowl LVII runner-up took home an extra $739,765.

Last season’s top performance-based earner was John Simpson, who played with the Baltimore Ravens last season but is now signed with the Jets, per CBS Sports.

The guard, who hit the field for 99 percent of Baltimore's offensive snaps, ranked No. 1 with a total of $974,613.

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After taking a $35 million pay cut to leave the Green Bay Packers for the Jets, Rodgers’ first season with the team was ended by a complete tear to his left Achilles, which he suffered about four minutes into his highly-anticipated debut with the team.

Shortly after, the Jets confirmed that the quarterback was placed on the injured reserve list, and Rodgers addressed the injury himself with a statement on Instagram.

“Thank you to every person that has reached out, called, texted, DM’d, connected through a friend, etc.," he wrote. "It has meant a ton to me, and I’ll try and get back to all of you soon 🥹❤️.”

He continued, "I’m completely heartbroken and moving through all of the emotions, but deeply touched and humbled by the support and love. 💔 Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I begin the healing process today. 🙏 ♾️ ❤️.”

The quarterback ended the post by congratulating his team for the 22-16 victory they clinched after he had to leave the game, writing, "The night is darkest before the dawn. And I shall rise yet again. Proud of my guys, 1-0 🛩️ ."

With Rodgers out for the season, the Jets ended up finishing 7-10 and missed the playoffs for a 13th-consecutive year.