Jordan Love didn’t receive a full-time opportunity with the Green Bay Packers until his fourth NFL season, but he’s made the most of his chance under center. After sitting behind Aaron Rodgers for three years, Love exploded down the stretch of the 2023 campaign, ultimately finishing second in the league with 32 passing touchdowns.
Love and the Packers agreed to one of the NFL’s most unique contracts heading into last season, avoiding his fifth-year option altogether in favor of a one-year extension through 2024. This clearly worked out for Love, as he just became the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history with his new contract extension. Let’s break down Love’s deal with the Packers.
Jordan Love’s Contract Details
Despite just having just one season as a starter under his belt, the Packers saw enough from Love to give him a monster payday.
After the 25-year-old threw for 4,159 yards, 32 touchdowns, and just 11 interceptions while leading the Packers to an upset victory over the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs, Green Bay backed up the Brink’s trunk this offseason.
Love signed a four-year, $220 million contract extension with the Packers, which features an NFL record $75 million signing bonus that is due by December (via three separate $25 million payments). At signing, $100.8 million is fully guaranteed, with $155 million in total guarantees.
The average annual value of Love’s new pact is $55 million, which is tied with Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence for the highest salary in the NFL. (It’s worth noting that Burrow received $219.01 million in total guarantees, the second-most in NFL history behind Deshaun Watson’s $230 million.)
Love could have inked a five-year extension with the Packers just like Burrow and Lawrence did, but he opted for a four-year deal so that he could hit the market again sooner. Given the state of the quarterback market in today’s NFL, with each new contract seemingly topping the last, this seems like a wise decision.
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Prior to the 2023 NFL season, Love made just one start and attempted 83 passes, so there’s no question that the Packers are paying him based on a small sample size.
The Packers, who traded up to select the Utah State product with the 26th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, clearly believe in Love and see him as Rodgers’ long-term successor.
In 2008, Green Bay made a similar bet on Rodgers despite a small sample size, giving him a six-year, $65 million contract — the most lucrative deal in NFL history at the time. That contract obviously worked out, and the Packers are hoping they can duplicate that success.
Love looked like a back-end MVP candidate down the stretch of last season, and finished the campaign ranking fifth among quarterbacks in EPA per play and ninth in QBR. Now, we’ll see if he can live up to his new label as the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL.
