By Paul Bretl: 7/26/2024
It wasn’t a matter of if, but when. The Green Bay Packers and Jordan Love have reportedly agreed to a new contract extension.
According to Adam Schefter, the Packers and Love agreed to a four-year deal worth $220 million. he will get a record $75 million signing bonus, which will all be paid out by December, plus $155 million in new full guarantees. By average annual value, Love will earn $55 million per year and is under contract through the 2028 season.
“Jordan had a really good season toward the end, especially the second half and we are really excited to build around him,” Gutekunst said after the 2023 season. “I think just the way he led our football team through the tough times, through the success, all the challenges that a season kind of brings you, he did a really good job leading those guys. I think for a young player in his first year that’s trying to figure it all out, I think that was exceptional.”
Without a deal initially done at the start of training camp, Love’s representatives contacted Gutekunst on the Saturday before camp began to let him know that Love would not be practicing without a new deal. Although he hasn’t practiced, Love has been heavily involved in every other aspect, whether that be being on the sidelines or participating in the meeting room.
Of course, Gutekunst and Matt LaFleur both would have wanted Love on the practice field right away, but both understood why he wasn’t. As far as the locker room goes, every player had Love’s back.
“The thing about Jordan is during OTAs,” said Sean Clifford on Monday, “he was here 100 percent of the time. He’s been working the whole summer. Guys know that. Nobody’s questioning his work ethic. Now, it’s just, he’s got to do what he’s got to do. He’s our leader, he’s somebody that everybody can lean on.
“It’s not a question of his morals or ethics or anything like that. It’s a business at the end of the day, and I don’t think it’s going to take super long. It’s just what he’s got to do now. But again, it speaks volumes – he’s not in California, he’s here. I got in here at 7. His bag was already in here. He’s in early, he’s staying late. He’s doing all the little things so it’s no worry from the players that’s for sure.”
After a rocky start to the 2023 season, Love and the offense finished the year as one of the hottest units in football. From Week 11 through the divisional playoff game, which spans 10 games, Love completed 70 percent of his throws at 7.8 yards per attempt with 23 touchdowns to only three interceptions.
Among all quarterbacks during that span, Love ranked fourth in completion percentage, second in yards, ninth in yards per attempt, and first in touchdowns. Love also was the most productive quarterback on downfield passes of 20-plus yards, leading the league in completions, yards, and touchdowns on those throws.
Perhaps the cherry on top of all those stats and figures is that Love performed at that high level while being the most blitzed quarterback in the NFL as well.
“He had a hell of a year,” said LaFleur after the season. “Let’s not look past that. He really did. Just to see the growth, I talked about it the other night, obviously, the results speak for themselves, but the growth of him as just the commander out there, he’s an extension of us, and I thought the ownership that he showed, the leadership that he showed, was a great sign for us.”
Beyond the numbers, a touchdown pass to Dontayvion Wicks in the playoff game against Dallas perfectly encapsulated that growth that LaFleur described.
Facing 3rd-and-7 from the Dallas 20 yard line, with about 10 seconds left on the play clock, Love used his cadence to get the Cowboys defense to tip their hand pre-snap, showing where the blitz was coming from. Then with the play clock still winding down, Love changed the blocking assignments up front and made sure to get Jayden Reed in motion to start the play all before the play clock hit zero.
Once the ball was snapped, Dallas still managed to generate pressure. Love knowing that he had man coverage and would need a little extra time for Wicks’ route to develop, he remained calm and poised in the pocket, set his feet and delivered a strike to Wicks in the end zone with defenders in his face. All-in-all, just an excellent display of Love’s command at quarterback.
As Love heads into his second season as the Packers’ starter will be showing that they can counter the counters. Opposing defenses have now had a full offseason to look back and digest Love’s tape. They’ve been able to really examine what he does well and where he struggles and will undoubtedly come up with game plans that try to take away the former while putting him in scenarios that exacerbate the latter. Adjusting to these defensive counters on the fly will be crucial for Love an the offense this season.
“You might anticipate a defense maybe bringing a little more pressure,” said quarterbacks coach Tom Clements. “Disguising a little bit more. Making it more difficult to see where to go. So that’s from a quarterback standpoint, if that happens you have to have a lot of film study and be able to react.
“I mean that was one of Aaron’s (Rodgers) best attributes is the he could process information very quickly and usually make the right decision and get the ball where it had to go. That’s something that we’ll have to see how defenses approach it, but that’s something you’ve got to be ready for.”
Since taking over as the Packers’ starting quarterback, Love has shown that he can be the Packers’ long-term answer at quarterback, and that goes beyond his play on the field. Off the field, hosting dinners for the offensive line unit, being the first to reassure his pass-catchers after a missed play, and his calm, cool demeanor even when things aren’t going well have his teammates rallying around him as their leader.
“They used to call it an energy vampire,” said Jayden Reed. “Whatever energy someone else is giving off, that’s what you receive. Him being poised and so calm, that goes throughout the whole offense, every room, and that translates to gameday and on the field. Just seeing him, how calm he is, how poised he is – never gets too high, never gets too low – I think that helps the whole offense out.”