A major offseason business decision regarding Aaron Rodgers may have cost the Jets a significant amount of money in regard to the star quarterback’s season-ending injury in Week 1.
After trading for Rodgers in April, New York was offered multiple insurance policies, known as temporary total disability policies, for the 39-year-old quarterback but decided not to open one, according to a report published Saturday by Sportico.
The curious move “potentially cost the team $20 million-plus in insurance proceeds,” per Sportico, as Rodgers, who turns 40 on Dec. 2, went on to tear his right Achilles tendon in the first quarter of the season opener against the Bills.
Although the decision may surprise many fans, Sportico reported the Jets have been known to pass on TTD policies during owner Woody Johnson’s 23-year tenure, noting it’s been “at least a decade” since the team last insured a player.
In Rodgers’s case, the four-time MVP appeared to be a prime candidate for some form of high-premium coverage after inking a revised, fully guaranteed two-year, $75 million deal this offseason. Instead, New York, sans insurance, missed out on the chance to recoup “around 60% of the $37 million (or $22 million) that Rodgers was guaranteed this year.”
As Rodgers continues his recovery, his situation could serve as a catalyst for the NFL to consider rules that require teams to insure their highest-paid players. The NBA and NHL currently have such rules in place, according to Sportico.
