Why the Packers shouldn't trade Jordan Love after extending Aaron Rodgers
Now that Aaron Rodgers is back with the Green Bay Packers, it means Jordan Love is going to get traded, right? Why would the Packers hold on to him when Rodgers is fully in the mix? Well, hold on. It's not such a simple matter. Especially when you take a look at the details. For […]
Now that Aaron Rodgers is back with the Green Bay Packers, it means Jordan Love is going to get traded, right? Why would the Packers hold on to him when Rodgers is fully in the mix?
Well, hold on. It's not such a simple matter. Especially when you take a look at the details.
For starters, the Packers traded up to select Love in 2020. They swapped their 30th pick for the Miami Dolphins' 26th pick and gave up a fourth-rounder. While it's not a heavy price to pay, it's still an investment.
Usually, you don't give up on an investment unless it's either dragging you down or you can get something big in return. And that's a neither-case scenario for the Packers. Love's salary cap hit isn't dragging them down nor are they getting anything big in return.
But moving out of the past and looking at the present: the financials currently don't work in the Packers' favor. Trading Love before June 1 would save the Packers just $94k when it's all said and done. If they cut Love before June 1, it will cost the currently cap-strapped Packers more than $3.9 million. They simply can't afford that this year.
The Packers still stand to lose nearly $3 million if they cut Love after June 1. And let's say they did trade him after June 1 and save a little more than $1.7 million – that would be bad business. Preventing Love from joining his new team until June would set him back in regard to his development with that team. That's not how you go about things if you're a respectful front office. All of that just to save $1.6 million would not sit well with people around the league.
And what are the Packers really going to get in return, anyway? A mid-round pick or two? No one is paying a first-round price for Love. It'd be a stretch to say someone would pay a second-round price. The Packers aren't going to get much in return, at all.
So why not just keep Love on the roster? He's young, he's talented, and he knows the system. He's also making far less than what some backups have made in the past. For instance, Case Keenum, Marcus Mariota, Nick Foles, and Jacoby Brissett all had higher cap hits than Love's $2.8 million in 2021. As it stands, Love has the 34th-highest cap hit ($3.4 million) among all quarterbacks in 2022.
And who knows what Rodgers' plans are on a yearly basis. The Packers could go through this all over again in 2023. 2024 and beyond is anyone's guess, as well.
The initial, knee-jerk reaction to the Rodgers extension would be to trade Love. And that's understandable on the surface. But when you look at the overall picture, you can see why the Packers may be better off keeping Love around.
Featured image via-William Glasheen / USA TODAY NETWORK
