The Green Bay Packers showed their faith in Jordan Love last summer, rewarding the quarterback with a four-year, $220 million extension that made him one of the league’s highest-paid players. The deal cemented his place as the franchise cornerstone after being drafted by Green Bay in 2020.
The Packers clearly believe Jordan Love is the quarterback to lead them back to the NFL’s summit, with the blockbuster Micah Parsons trade serving as proof of that confidence. Yet, according to reports, several unnamed NFL executives are not nearly as convinced.
Jeff Howe of The Athletic recently reported that several NFL executives voiced frustration over the soaring salaries quarterbacks are commanding, arguing that some of the players receiving massive deals have not earned that kind of money.
“And frankly, teams are skeptical of the contracts handed out to QBs like Lawrence, Tagovailoa and Love — QBs who have yet to prove themselves in pivotal moments. Now, we’re paying guys just to pay guys,” an executive said via Howe’s article.
Lofty expectations for Jordan Love and the Packers
While the remarks may sting, Love will need to grow accustomed to this type of criticism. To be fair, the executives are not entirely off base. Love has played well for the Packers, but the team has yet to reach an NFC Championship Game with him leading the offense.
In today’s NFL, teams pay their quarterbacks regardless of whether they deliver Super Bowls. Few quarterbacks are actually winning them, with Patrick Mahomes taking three of the last six and only Matthew Stafford and Jalen Hurts breaking through in that span. Winning it all has become an incredibly difficult task.
If the Packers measure success solely by winning Super Bowls, then they have not met that standard. Since Jordan Love took over as the starter in 2023, Green Bay delivered a thrilling playoff victory over the Dallas Cowboys in his first postseason run but fell to the San Francisco 49ers the following week. The next season, their progress stalled again with a postseason loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Packers had good reason to give Jordan Love his massive deal, convinced he can guide them back to the Super Bowl alongside the addition of Micah Parsons. Still, until Love wins it all — and even if he does — critics will continue to question his value and label him overpaid. The NFL remains a business at its core, and a ruthless one at that.
