The Green Bay Packers have had a very successful offseason thus far. The first major move that they made was to fire embattled defensive coordinator Joe Barry and replace him with Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley. This change has instituted a culture and scheme change on the defensive side of the ball, one that has been embraced by numerous players so far this offseason.
In addition to the coaching change(s) on the defensive side of the ball, the Packers also made some significant changes to their roster on both sides of the ball. Defensively, they released former All-Pro linebacker De’Vondre Campbell and completely remade their safety room, bolstered by the signing of free agent Xavier McKinney.
Offensively, the Packers released David Bakhtiari and Aaron Jones, signed free agent running back Josh Jacobs, and used numerous draft picks to help fill other areas of need.
Now one thing remains on their to-do list: extend quarterback Jordan Love.
Green Bay Packers Quarterback Jordan Love Deserves a Massive Contract Extension
When the Packers made the decision to trade Aaron Rodgers in favor of Love last offseason, they were met with a great deal of criticism and questions in the media. There were major concerns over whether or not Love was ready, especially given the fact that the Packers’ pass catchers were all first and second-year players.
The critics appeared to be right early in the season as Green Bay started the season 2-5 and Love struggled to get on the same page as his wide receivers. However, 7-3 finish to the season with their new starter completing over 68% of his passes while throwing 21 touchdowns compared to just three interceptions gave the organization and its fans a great deal of hope for the future.
By the end of the year, Love had completed 64.1% of his passes for 4,159 yards, 32 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and had a 96.1 passer rating. It was the best first season as a starter in Packers franchise history:
| Quarterback | Completion % | Yards | Touchdowns | Interceptions | Passer Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Love | 64.2% | 4,159 | 32 | 11 | 96.1 |
| Aaron Rodgers | 63.6% | 4,038 | 28 | 13 | 93.8 |
| Brett Favre | 64.1% | 3,227 | 18 | 13 | 85.3 |
Entering the last year of his two-year contract with Green Bay that he signed last spring, Love is due for a massive pay raise on his next contract.
He has been eligible for this extension since May, but he and the Packers have yet to come to an agreement.
NFL Analyst Mina Kimes Sends a Blunt Message to Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers
Earlier this week, ESPN’s Mina Kimes had some strong words regarding the contract negotiations between Love and the Packers:
“From Love’s perspective, he should obviously try to maximize this for all he’s worth. He bet on himself and won. From the Packers’ perspective, I’ve seen enough with Jordan Love. Get the deal done and pay what it takes because he’s that dude.
“Second half of the season, he was one of the three best quarterbacks in football. And watching it, it wasn’t artificial, it wasn’t just schemed up although Matt LaFleur is a great play-caller. He was making high degree of difficulty throws in clutch situations. I think he has all of the tools to be one of the five best quarterbacks in the NFL and I don’t think that’s hyperbolic based on what I saw last year.”
This offseason has already seen Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions get an extension that will pay him $52 million per year, and Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars got one that will pay him $55 million per year.
Love is arguably better than both of them and should be paid as such. The longer they wait to get a deal done, the more expensive he could be.
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