NY Jets QB Aaron Rodgers just took the largest pay cut in sports history

If there were still any questions about just how committed Aaron Rodgers was to the NY Jets, they were answered in swift fashion on Wednesday. Rodgers is all in.

The four-time MVP officially had his contract restructured on Wednesday — something that has been in the works since the trade became official in April — and the final product is a historic deal for both player and team.

Rodgers took a massive $35 million pay cut to play for the Jets, structured his contract in a way that essentially commits him to playing at least two years with the team, and divided his remaining cap hit across five years.

In doing so, Rodgers is believed to have taken the largest pay cut on a revised contract in team sports history, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. No player in NFL or professional sports history has ever taken as large of a pay cut as Rodgers just did.

The details of Aaron Rodgers' historic pay cut with the NY Jets

Rodgers' cap hit in 2023 rises from a little over $1 million to just under $9 million. Meanwhile, his 2024 cap hit is only a meager $17.16 million. His $37.5 million APY makes him the 12th-highest-paid quarterback in the NFL, behind the likes of Daniel Jones and Kyler Murray.

In fact, Rodgers' cap hit with the Green Bay Packers in 2023 ($40.3 million) is over 4.5 times larger than his cap hit with the Jets this season. And as Jason Fitzgerald from Over the Cap points out, the $35 million pay cut Rodgers took essentially covers the cost of Zach Wilson's entire contract.

Everyone knew the Rodgers restructure was coming. Some even expected him to take some sort of a pay cut. I'm not sure anyone could have predicted this incredible discount the Jets received for their star quarterback.

After years of developing a reputation of being a self-centered, self-serving "diva" in Green Bay, Rodgers has come to New York and done everything right.

He's said all the right things to the media. He showed up for OTAs. He's gone the extra mile with his teammates in practice. He's quickly developed chemistry with young receivers. He's embraced his role as a mentor to Zach Wilson.

Now, he just took the largest pay cut a professional athlete has ever taken in an effort to help his team build around him. It's the ultimate selfless move for a player who has been seen as anything but selfless in recent years.

It's hard to put into words what this means for the Jets as an organization. One of the greatest quarterbacks of all time not only pushed to play for the Jets this offseason, but he took a historic pay cut just to make it happen.

The Jets now have extra ammunition and flexibility in 2024 to continue building around Rodgers. It also opens up the possibility for potential in-season moves that could help the team in 2023.

Aaron Rodgers has quickly endeared himself to Jets fans and embraced the organization as his new home. Wednesday's restructure solidified his all-in status. Rodgers wants to win.