SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- With seven starts to his name after sitting behind an NFL legend for the better part of three years, a promising young quarterback once earned a lucrative contract extension without much of a sample size.
At the time the deal was considered eye-opening, but it didn't take long before the Green Bay Packers' first contract extension with quarterback Aaron Rodgers became a major bargain compared to the big money being handed out to other top signal-callers around the league. That all happened back in 2008. By the end of 2009, Rodgers had taken Green Bay to the postseason.