Packers GM addresses Jordan Love extension talks

Last offseason, the Packers replaced Jordan Love‘s fifth-year option with a one-year extension. No new pact can be agreed upon until at least May 4, but talks on that front have begun.

With Aaron Rodgers out of the picture, Green Bay made a short-term commitment to Love as the team’s 2024 starter. The $22.5MM pact the latter inked included escalators and bonuses as he helped guide the Packers to the second round of the postseason. Love is due $11M in 2024 on his current contract, which is set to carry a cap hit of $12.76M. A long-term accord will check in at a much higher rate.

A January report stated the Packers would explore an extension in the offseason, with general manager Brian Gutekunst having seen enough of the former first-rounder to commit to him as Green Bay’s long-term answer under center. When speaking at the league meetings, Gutekunst confirmed negotiations on a Love pact have indeed started. Nothing is imminent at this time, though.

“There’s been some, obviously, preliminary discussions,” Gutekunst said on Monday (video link via Ryan Woods of Packers News). “But we want to do it the right way. And certainly the sooner the better, but at the same time, we want to make sure we do it the right way. So, it’s started. But it’s not something that’s going to go quickly, I don’t think.”

NFL contracts cannot be extended twice within a 12-month span, so any new Love deal will not become official for at least six weeks. Still, it is of course noteworthy the sides have begun talks on a new agreement. The sides are in a unique situation with Love having made only one start in his first three NFL seasons. The 25-year-old had a less-than-stellar beginning to his first campaign as a starter, but down the stretch and into the postseason his play improved.

As a result, he is in line for a steep raise compared to his current deal. 12 quarterbacks currently average at least $40M per season, and with the salary cap expected to continue rising at a notable rate that number will no doubt increase in the coming years. Love has much less experience in a No. 1 role than the veterans at the top of the market, but a number of relatively young passers have secured monster second contracts in recent years. If Love is to become the next in line, an agreement could be within reach relatively soon depending on the progress of negotiations.