By and large, Aaron Rodgers has had a pretty successful career. Sure, he spent a bit too long in the green room on draft night and found himself sitting behind Brett Favre, but once things got rolling, he never really looked back. The quarterback now has a Super Bowl ring, plus four NFL MVP titles and a boatload of additional silverware, to his name. And that’s not even counting the fame and fortune.
But, beyond that, there are more perks to being Aaron Rodgers. Take, for instance, earning upward of $1 million from simply speaking into a microphone once a week.
Sound unbelievable? Well, that’s a key part of the quarterback’s professional relationship with Pat McAfee.
Let’s break things down.
Dustin Satloff/Getty Images
Rodgers Earns Big Bucks From McAfee Interviews
If you’re hosting a talk show, it’s natural that you want the biggest guests to grace your program. In the world of football, there are few names bigger than Rodgers. That makes his regular appearances on The Pat McAfee Show a key part of the former punter’s program. Whether viewers are tuning in to see the New York Jets signal-caller or viral clips grab their attention on social media, sports fans are probably going to hear about what happened during the recurring segment.
Through that lens, it’s not surprising that Rodgers doesn’t come cheap.
On October 12, the New York Post‘s Andrew Marchand reported that “Rodgers is receiving more than seven figures per year to come on the show each week, according to sources, while [University of Alabama coach Nick] Saban is in that vaunted neighborhood.”
McAfee, for his part, said that money changes hands.
“He confirmed that Rodgers’ spots are paid for, but didn’t get into the exact amount per year,” Marchand wrote.
“Aaron has made over $1,000,000 with us, for sure,” McAfee also told the Post.
Newsweek has reached out to Rodgers’ agent for comment by email.
Furthermore, the former Indianapolis Colt suggested that the interviews with Rodgers were well worth the cost.
“My company went from a valuation of [$2 million to $5 million] to a company valued over $500,000,000 in just a few years,” McAfee said, according to the Post. “Everybody who helped us get to this point has reaped the benefits of it, that’s how business is supposed to work. To be transparent, Aaron deserves much more than what he’s gotten for the time and effort he has put into ‘Aaron Rodgers’ Tuesdays.'”
If those numbers sound massive, that’s because they are. Marchand provided some interview-related context further down in his story.
“What McAfee is doing with Rodgers, et al., is not unusual or new, even if the financial numbers are eye-popping. Baseball managers, from Joe Torre to Joe Girardi and Aaron Boone, have routinely done ‘exclusive’ audio spots in the $250,000 neighborhood—deals with radio stations or, in Boone’s case this year, with Jomboy’s Yankee podcast,” Marchand said.
“Eli Manning used to make around $125,000 to appear for 15 to 20 minutes on WFAN. McAfee has taken this realm to a new level,” he said.
Rodgers’ Earnings Are Already Massive
For most people, taking home $1 million per year would be life-changing money. For Rodgers, though, it’s metaphorical pocket change.
The quarterback has earned more than $340 million during his NFL career, according to Spotrac’s financial data. When his time with the Jets wraps up—assuming he returns from his Achilles tendon injury—Rodgers will have broken the $400 million mark. And that’s not even including his endorsements and other commercial endeavors.
In that context, is another million per year strictly necessary? Of course not. But, by the same token, wouldn’t you gladly accept a paycheck for what’s essentially a few minutes of conversation each week?
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
