Jordan Love entered the 2023 season having been handed the reins of the Packers’ offense despite his inexperience. With a bridge deal in hand, he delivered a strong second half of the campaign in particular, earning the team’s trust as a long-term solution under center. 
The 2020 first-rounder posted a 96.1 passer rating in 2023, finishing second in the NFL with 32 touchdown passes. That production helped lead the team to the divisional round of the postseason, and it certainly helped his leverage at the bargaining table. Talks on a Love extension are ongoing, and an agreement can be finalized at any time.
Four quarterbacks reset the market last offseason, each signing monster second contracts. That quartet (Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts) were recently joined by Jared Goff on his new Lions pact. Any new deals for ascending or established franchise passers therefore come with the expectation they will carry an annual average value at or above $50MM. Despite Love’s relative inexperience, he too could be positioned to reach that plateau.
In a recent installment of The Insiders, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that it is a matter of “when” not “if” Love becomes one of the league’s highest-paid quarterbacks on his next contract. Colleague Mike Garafolo adds the Utah State alum is expected to wind up “in Burrow territory” regarding compensation (video link). The Bengals Pro Bowler sits atop the market with a $55MM-per-year deal, and it would certainly be noteworthy if Love were to sign a similar one.
The latter started only one game during his first three seasons in the league. Green Bay’s decision to move on from Aaron Rodgers paved the way for Love to take over, and his one-year extension took the place of his fifth-year option. That agreement could not be extended until May 4, but with that date having come and gone the parties are free to hammer out a long-term accord. If the Packers view 2024 as a preview of Love’s prime, a deal near the (current) top of the market could prove to be a sound investment.
This offseason is expected to see a fresh wave of mega-deals at the QB spot. Any or all of Dak Prescott, Trevor Lawrence and Tua Tagovailoa could ink deals whose value is based on the contracts signed last summer and the historic jump in the salary cap witnessed in 2024. Waiting until after that has taken place could put Love in position to secure more on a deal (this offseason or later) than what the Packers could offer now.
On the other hand, the fact the 25-year-old has made only 20 combined regular and postseason starts (throwing 16 interceptions in that span) could give the team pause. Love endured growing pains early in the 2023 campaign, and his decision-making in certain playoff situations showed there is room for improvement in that regard. He is currently set to receive $11MM in 2024, but that figure will rise considerably once his next contract is in place even if the Packers manage a more modest agreement.
Green Bay has Sean Clifford in place as a backup quarterback, and the team selected Michael Pratt in the seventh round of this year’s draft. They will provide developmental options for years to come, but the Packers have already publicly endorsed a lucrative Love deal. When that is worked out – and the figures it includes – will be a key storyline to follow.
If he picks up where he left off down the stretch last year, it’ll be inevitable.
Nah, teams have tape on him now…
We’ll see. He looked pretty damn good.
Yeah, for the most part I thought so too. I was actually sarcastically referring to another comment below.
Gotcha. I’m pretty sure teams are looking at that tape and saying “Oh no, not another one.”
$50m+ for a half season’s worth of good football? Ok, today’s NFL.
So a bottom of the league QB is going to be paid 20-25% of a salary cap which has to account for over 50 players? Good luck Green Bay! I would wait until the end of this coming season, now that teams have tape on him and his glaring issues will be picked apart each week. Sure didn’t look good against the 49ers last year…
Not many passers looked good against the 9ers last year.
Do you think teams werent watching the tape on a week to week basis last year as he continuously progressed or are you under the assumption they just wait until the next year to study his film. Also, you are aware he can also study film and had an entire offseason to work on any mechanical deficiencies he may have had.
Hope he does great but $50 mil? LOL!
Most people laughed when I said Daniel Jones is really the QB who reset the market.
The hilarious $40M, regardless of how many years it obligated NYG, set a precedent that continues (and will continue) to ripple across the NFL.
If Caleb is half the hype, imagine what he’ll command in 6 years?
Ridiculous
You can’t count anything the Giants do. Everyone knew Daniel Jones wasn’t worth 40 million a year or earned a raise but they were in a bind of having no QB.
Even if Caleb is average, he’ll still get top 3-7 money. They all do.
If he gets the highest QB contract, would that make him “The Love Supreme”?
*first John Coltrane pun in this site’s history*
Hadn’t really seen much of em but man he was lights out @end of season. Very impressive. DC’s get paid mighty handsomely to game plan n they’ve had all off-season to study em. If he can build on last yr he’ll be seriously climbing best QBs in league ladder.
He’s also had a season’s worth of reading and adjusting to defenses, and film to study. Kinda works both ways.
In my opinion Jordon Love is the equivalent to Travor Lawrence. Start with a three year extension at $35 mil a year with basic incentives to $40 mil.
That can be dressed up to look great on the ticker…….
I thought the same thing. I also thought maybe a player opt out clause if Love chooses after each season but it gets triggered at certain incentive points tied to yds, td’s mvp status, whatever. A safety net both ways really.
This would be a good year to give Love an incentive-laden deal, as he didn’t play enough good games last year to justify going all in on him..
Jared Goff makes all things possible.
JG has savvy
This may become a big deal for future contracts.
If Love gets top market money for only having 1 whole season, why would any team draft and sit a guy? The benefit of that is so possibly get a good deal as the guy is not fully tested but learned. If they still get a big deal you need to play them early to maximize the lower rookie contract.
If the packers lowball him Love will walk into a top contract with any other franchise that needs a QB. They pretty much have to pay him
At this point, the best formula might be to build the strongest team you can, sign core player to long term deals and build strong O lines, WR corps and defenses and churn through QB’s and RB’s.
Draft a RB every year and cycle through them on rookie deals.
Every 4 years draft 2 QB’s (or sooner if needed) and keep them on rookie deals and trade them when the fifth year option hits and restock.
It’s not ideal to try to win in today’s NFL with non-elite QB play, but it seems even less ideal to pay 25% of your cap for QB’s not named Mahomes.
He’s still way too inaccurate… let’s hope they don’t handcuff the team with a big contract!! He’s not worth top 5 QB money!!!
Don’t forget he played last year with basically all rookie and second year receivers and tight ends. His weapons will be even better this year
Packers should still add a veteran WR along with a veteran backup QB instead of Clifford.
Pay the man but limit the guarantee money.
You can give him a 6-year deal for $330 million ($55 million per year) but only guarantee two-thirds of it.