Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) after his football game against the Cleveland Browns Saturday, December 25, 2021, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. Samantha Madar/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin Packers Vs Browns 01022022 0022

Pat McAfee was the first person to report Tuesday that Aaron Rodgers had agreed to a new deal with the Green Bay Packers and would remain with the franchise instead of retiring or demanding a trade.

“According to my sources…[Aaron Rodgers] will officially be returning to the Green Bay Packers,” wrote McAfee. “There is no deal in place currently but there is said to be a cap-friendly deal on the way.”

Minutes later, NFL insider Ian Rapoport added some specifics to the announcement as well as the news that a deal had, in fact, been agreed upon. Rapoport also included the dollar figures involved.

“The Packers and MVP QB Aaron Rodgers have agreed to terms on a 4-year, $200M deal that makes him the highest-paid player in NFL history, sources say,” per Rapoport. “He gets a whopping $153M guaranteed and his cap number goes down. A monstrous commitment by GB for years to come.”

Almost immediately, McAfee fired back, saying that the numbers that Rapoport noted are “not accurate” and “categorically false.” He would later say during his Tuesday show that his “source” was Rodgers himself.

Even Rapoport himself had to laugh at that.

The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman seemingly confirmed McAfee’s report that Rodgers’ deal wasn’t officially signed yet. But the most striking confirmation of all appears to have come from the quarterback himself, who tweeted on Tuesday afternoon to try and clear the air.

Hey everyone, just wanted to clear some things up,” wrote Rodgers. “YES I will be playing with the [Green Bay Packers] next year, however, reports about me signing a contract are inaccurate, as are the supposed terms of the contract I “signed”. I’m very excited to be back.”

As we saw with the Adam Schefter report on Tom Brady’s retirement, it’s entirely possible that Rapoport got some information about what is going to happen but just reported it before the people involved wanted those details out there. It’s also possible that Rodgers is trying to save face as reports of a massive contract seemed at odds with his stated goal of keeping other Packers stars on the roster and competing for a Super Bowl.

For what it’s worth, Rapoport hasn’t altered his story, at least not yet. So we’ll see how it all plays out. But until then, we know for sure that Rodgers will return in the green and gold next season. As for how much he’ll be making, we’re not entirely sure yet.

[Aaron Rodgers, AA]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.