Four years after the Packers’ decision to trade and draft Jordan Love strained their relationship with Aaron Rodgers, the Packers have a decision to make about Love.
As Myles Simmons pointed out during Friday’s meeting PFT live, Love officially became eligible for a new contract on Friday. When will the Packers give him one?
Last year, the Packers and Love replaced the fifth-year option with a two-year contract. Looking back, the contract was great for the Packers. They traded his roughly $20 million fifth-year option for a two-year contract with a base value of $13.5 million, $13 million of which was fully guaranteed.
He triggered a sizable portion of a $9 million escalator package for 2024, bringing his 2024 salary to $10.5 million. It’s still not enough given how he played last year.
Love chose not to bet on himself a year ago. Will he take the bag when offered this time or will he wait? If yes, how long?
The Packers will have the franchise tag available in 2025. If Love had not accepted the two-year contract in 2023, he would have already been tagged or paid.
While teams rarely pay players for what they’ve done, Love could be looking to correct the imbalance starting in 2023 and, without a new deal, 2024. That all changes if/when the Packers put a massive offer on the table. Will he pass on it and hope for more?
It never gets cheaper over time. The Packers must want to act quickly. Love may want to wait, especially with other quarterbacks potentially signing new deals.
