One of the most anticipated moves of the Green Bay Packers’ offseason is the potential contract extension of starting quarterback Jordan Love. After buying out his fifth-year option last season, the Packers and Love were able to sign a contract extension earlier this week, but have yet to do so.
There are several reasons why this has not yet occurred, not the least of which is the likely ongoing discussions between the team and Love’s representation. For months, fans and commentators have speculated about how much the Packers will pay their new franchise quarterback.
One veteran NFL agent feels that Love’s predecessor, Aaron Rodgers, will have a significant impact on that figure. How Aaron Rodgers will affect Jordan Love’s contract with the Green Bay Packers. Former NFL agent Joel Corey wrote an interesting essay on CBS Sports explaining how Rodgers’ first contract extension with the Packers in 2008 may affect Love’s first contract extension in 2024.
Corey writes that Rodgers’ first extension, a five-year contract at $12.7 million per season, made him the fourth or fifth-highest paid quarterback in the NFL at the time. (He states “fourth or fifth” depending on whether the reader includes Michael Vick’s $13 million contract, as the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback was suspended indefinitely at the time). He also claims Rodgers had less experience than Love when he signed his agreement. The Packers and Rodgers signed their contract in November of 2008, almost halfway through the season. The future Hall of Fame quarterback had yet to play a full season under center, but the Packers were willing to pay him top-five quarterback money.
Love, of course, has played a full season as the Packers’ starter. Corey wrote: “Given the precedent set by a young Rodgers, the Packers should be willing to make Love the NFL’s fourth- or fifth-highest paid player. Love should be paid between $48.5 million and $49 million per year, based on the midpoint of the league’s fourth and fifth best paid players.” This is how Rodgers’ first contract extension may effect Love’s negotiations. Corey goes on to claim that the previous agreement, signed the year before the trade to the New York Jets, could be as well.
How Aaron Rodgers’ Final Contract with the Green Bay Packers Could Make Jordan Love the NFL’s Highest Paid Player Many NFL fans, particularly Packers fans, are aware that after Rodgers won his fourth NFL MVP Award in 2021, the Packers extended his contract for three years and $150 million. Many believed it was intended to pacify Rodgers, whose relationship with the front office had deteriorated since they selected Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
In the first year of this $150 million contract, Rodgers had one of his worst statistical seasons, throwing for 3,695 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions, including the toss that effectively ended the Packers’ season in Week 18 against the Detroit Lions, with a playoff berth on the line. According to Corey, Love’s agents will not only utilize the first Rodgers extension in their negotiations with the Packers, but also the latest one, as well as Rodgers’ performance in 2022 versus Love’s in 2023.
“It wouldn’t be unexpected if Love’s representation not only wanted more than this deal, but also insisted on their client becoming the league’s highest-paid player, similar to Rodgers. The Packers will undoubtedly oppose this notion, pointing that Rodgers was coming off back-to-back NFL MVP seasons when he signed the contract. “Love’s case could be boosted because, as a first-year starter, he outperformed Rodgers in his final season in Green Bay. The chart below depicts their production. As he points out, Love’s agents could make a strong case for their client, the Packers’ new starting quarterback, to be the highest-paid athlete in the NFL. To accomplish this, he would need to secure a deal worth more than $51 million.
Will the Packers pay so much? It remains to be seen. However, items in Green Bay could become costly very soon.
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