During the 2023 offseason, the Green Bay Packers made one thing quite clear: they are devoted to the future. Whether or if such future is successful remains to be seen. The abundance of youth on the Packers squad, particularly on offense, signaled the start of a new era in Green Bay.
Jordan Love has been at the epicenter of that generation. For the past three years, the fourth-year quarterback has sat behind renowned quarterback Aaron Rodgers. However, he is only under contract with the Packers until 2024. That could all change in the near future.
Love is under contract with the Packers until 2024, which is significant given that Daniel Jones and Geno Smith were both set to become free agents. This benefits Green Bay in two ways. First, it allows them to negotiate a stronger contract because Love will earn $6 million in 2024. Second, it offers them leverage because they are not obligated to extend him, so they will if the negotiations are reasonable.
Using Geno Smith’s contract as a benchmark and adding a couple of million dollars for cap inflation, the Packers and Love might reach an agreement for two years and $60 million.
Love claims he received $30 million a season, which is a fair mid-level quarterback contract — and life-changing money for a player who has made less than $20 million in the league thus far.
It would be a three-year, $66 million contract for the Packers, a de facto $22 million yearly average with no meaningful guarantees beyond 2024.
Whatever the Packers’ record is at the end of the season, I would be surprised if they abandoned up on Love after only one (or two) seasons. During his tenure on the team, he has grown tremendously in the eyes of the coaching staff. The franchise wasn’t anticipating a Super Bowl triumph at the end of his first season, just enough to commit beyond his present contract. Of course, every team’s aim heading into the season is to win the Super Bowl, but being realistic is also part of the process.
Aaron Rodgers led the Green Bay Packers to a Super Bowl win three years after taking over as starter. Love will almost certainly be given at least that much time to establish that he is capable of being “the guy” in Green Bay. The Packers’ arsenal now includes a lot of weapons around Love’s age. The front staff hopes that all of these weapons will develop alongside Love and form an exceptional offensive unit in the coming years. There is no purpose in abandoning that progress after one or two years.
