The Green Bay Packers are facing far fewer questions going into the 2024 NFL season than they were going into last season. Following the pre-2023 NFL Draft trade of Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets, many doubted that Jordan Love would be able to lead the Packers back into contention.
Not only were there questions about the starting quarterback, but the Packers offense as a whole was the youngest in the entire NFL. All of Love’s wide receivers and tight ends were either rookies or second-year players. With Aaron Jones hurt of much of the season, Green Bay also lacked a consistent running game. David Bakhtiari got hurt in Week One and was replaced by 2022 seventh round pick Rasheed Walker.
In other words, the Packers were not supposed to contend. But they did. Love’s second half of the 2023 season was masterful and he led Green Bay to a 9-8 record, a wild card berth, and an upset over the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL Playoffs.
The Green Bay Packers and Jordan Love Are Talking Contract Extension
Prior to last season, the Packers and Love agreed to a two-year contract that essentially bought out his fifth-year option. This also meant that Green Bay could not offer him a contract extension until May 8, 2024. Of course, this date has come and gone and Love has not signed a new deal yet.
This does not mean, though, that the Packers and Love have not been talking. Brian Gutekunst recently revealed that both parties would like to have a new contract signed and in place before the start of training camp in late July.
The question, of course, is how much is Love going to get paid? Earlier this spring, the Detroit Lions gave their quarterback, Jared Goff, a four-year contract extension worth $212 million, or $53 million per season. This made Goff the fifth quarterback who will be paid over $50 million this season, and the second-highest annual salary among quarterbacks (Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals is making $55 million).
Former Green Bay Packers Lineman Mark Tauscher Believes Jordan Love Should Be the 2nd-Highest Paid Quarterback in the NFL
The amount of money Love should or will make has been one of the most debated topics of the offseason. Some believe he will make somewhere between $46-48 million while others think his salary will make $50 million or more. During a recent episode of Wilde and Tausch, former Packers offensive lineman Mark Tauscher suggested that Green Bay should make Love the second-highest paid quarterback in the NFL (based on annual salary), and that it would be a huge win for the organization:
“Every time a new quarterback signs (an extension), there is going to be pressure to make more money. If the Packers can get him at $54 million a year, I think the Packers would consider that a win.”
As mentioned, $54 million a year would make Love the second-highest paid NFL quarterback behind Burrow. That being said, in a year or two, other quarterbacks will have surpassed that annual salary on new extensions. In other words, Love could be the second-highest paid quarterback in the NFL in 2024, but maybe the fourth or fifth-highest paid (or lower) in a couple of years.
In 2022, the Packers gave Rodgers a three-year $150 million deal. They are not afraid to spend big money on their quarterback.
