Why the Packers Should Extend Jordan Love Now, Not Later
The Green Bay Packers have an extremely young roster filled with potential ahead of the 2024 season.
The team went on a fun, Cinderella run last year, winning their final three regular season games and even taking down heavily favored Dallas in the Wild Card Round of the NFC Playoffs.
Now, as the team gears up for 2024, Jordan Love's contract has become a topic of discussion, and a topic of concern.
Last year around this time, the Packers opted to not pick up Love's 5th year option on his rookie deal, and instead signed him to a one-year extension. This gave the Packers more flexibility in the case that Love didn't pan out to reduce their obligation to him while also rewarding Love with an additional year to prove himself.
Now, Love has done just that, tossing 32 touchdowns a year ago to just 11 interceptions, and guided the team to a 9-8 finish and playoff run.
The time is now for the Packers to ante up and pay Jordan Love like the budding star he is.
This offseason, we saw several quarterbacks earn new deals, like Baker Mayfield and Jared Goff, while others are still waiting for their turn.
Dak Prescott and Tua Tagovailoa are just a few Quarterbacks that are up again soon for extensions and/or new deals. The Packers would be wise to pay Love now and get ahead of those price tags.
As of right now, Love is set to make roughly 13 million this season. While that is a HUGE bargain for the Packers, the long-term security isn't there. As of now, that 13-million-dollar number puts Love as the 19th highest paid QB based on cap hit in 2024 per Spotrac.
If Love goes out and does exactly what he did in 2023 or more, the Packers will be on the hook for a mega deal next season when salary inflation and competition among those to be paid (Tua and Dak) ramps up.
Love would be very likely to receive top 10 and maybe even top 5 money based on numerous measurements with a new deal this offseason or next.
Although sticker shock will surely be present if the deal gets done in the next few months, the Packers and Love would be wise to get the long-term deal done now before the player risks a ton on a one-year deal, and the team risks paying even more next season for their franchise quarterback.
They say to 'strike when the iron is hot.' The Packers' iron is hot to get the deal done for Jordan Love while the roster is young and cheap, and the Super Bowl window is open and widening.
Green Bay's 2024 season opens on Friday, September 6th in Sao Paolo Brazil against the Philadelphia Eagles. It will be the NFL's first ever game in Brazil.
Sources: NFL.com, Packers Access on Twitter and Spotrac
NFL Franchises With Multiple Super Bowl Championships
Gallery Credit: Scott Prather