The Green Bay Packers have a decision to make: will they pick up Jordan Love’s fifth year option or not? If they do, they will owe him $20 million in 2024. The deadline to make this decision is Tuesday, and general manager Brian Gutekunst was non-committal when asked if the team would pick up his option before then. But why wouldn’t they? After all, the Packers made the decision to move on from Aaron Rodgers in favor of Love. If they are not sure if they want to pick up his option, why move on from Rodgers? The answer may lie in how the New York Giants handled their young quarterback Daniel Jones.
The Green Bay Packers Could Still Extend Jordan Love without Picking Up His Option
When the New York Giants drafted Daniel Jones, it was so that he would become their franchise quarterback. Unfortunately, it did not seem like he would be that. In his first three seasons, he failed to play a full schedule of games, threw for 3,000 yards just once, and averaged 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions per season. In other words, it did not seem like he was going to live up to expectations.
For that reason, the team declined to pick up his fifth year option going into 2022. In essence, he had last season to prove himself. And prove himself he did. Jones led the Giants to a 9-6-1 record and a berth in the NFL Playoffs. In the Giants’ win against the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card round, Jones threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns while leading the team in rushing with 78 yards on 17 carries.
Due to his breakout season, the Giants awarded Jones with a four-year $160 million contract. Could the Packers take a similar wait-and-see approach with Jordan Love?
The fact of the matter is that, while the Packers are confident in Love, he has not played very many games. $20 million is a lot to dedicate to a player without seeing him play over the course of a full season, as Gutekunst noted when asked about the extension.
If the Packers decide to decline his option, and he plays well, they can always offer him an extension. If he does not play well, they will not have $20 million tied up in him for 2024 and can figure out a different approach to the quarterback position.
Then again, the Packers did pick up Darnell Savage’s fifth year option last season despite a poor 2021. Perhaps they’ll pick up Love’s option based on their belief that he will be what they expect him to be.
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