Aaron Rodgers might offer a perfect parameter for Jordan Love’s new contract
The Jordan Love extension will happen, but for how much and the structure of the deal are some of the biggest offseason questions the Green Bay Packers will have to answer. Last week, A to Z Sports talked about this topic with cap and market analysts, and the perception is Love will get something between […]
The Jordan Love extension will happen, but for how much and the structure of the deal are some of the biggest offseason questions the Green Bay Packers will have to answer. Last week, A to Z Sports talked about this topic with cap and market analysts, and the perception is Love will get something between $44 million and $52 million annually.
CBS Sports' cap expert Joel Corry added an interesting perspective about the topic. For him, Jordan Love could look for his predecessor's last deal to find a common ground with the Packers.
"It wouldn't be a surprise for Love to target more than the $50,271,667 per year ($150.815 million over three years) Rodgers got in 2022 in his final deal with the Packers. Love was more productive last season than the four-time NFL MVP was in 2022 when the Packers missed the playoffs with an 8-9 record."
Sure enough, the situation is not the same. First of all, Aaron Rodgers signed that deal coming off two MVP seasons in 2020 and 2021. Right before getting the contract, Rodgers had thrown for 37 touchdowns and four interceptions, with a 111.9 passer rating in 2021 — much better numbers than Love had in 2023.
But there are also factors that favor Jordan Love in the comparison. The first and most obvious one is age. Love is 25, and won't be 26 until November. When Rodgers signed his last deal with the Packers, he was 38 years old — and that's the reason why the team built some windows to make it a tradable contract, even though it was not a team-friendly pact whatsoever.
The second factor to favor Love is the natural inflation at the position. Over the last decade, the quarterback market has grown much more than the salary cap, and players at this position are getting a higher share of the cap than ever before.
When Rodgers signed his deal in 2022, he became the first player ever to sign a deal with a yearly average over $50 million. Since then, he has been surpassed by Joe Burrow ($55 million), Justin Herbert ($52.5 million), Lamar Jackson ($52 million), and Jalen Hurts ($51 million). Dak Prescott is expected to get something around $60 million in his next extension with the Dallas Cowboys.
So, considering positive and negative factors, Aaron Rodgers' last deal with the Packers is a solid parameter for Jordan Love. At the end of negotiations, he might stay between that number and Lamar Jackson's, for example.
Then, other big questions will remain — the length of the deal is the biggest one, followed by structure and incentives.
Jordan Love bet on himself when he signed a one-year extension in 2023, because he earned $7.5 million more in year 4 than previously agreed to, but at the same time allowed the Packers some leverage for the following negotiation. Love won the bet, though, with a strong performance in his first season as the starter, and soon he will get a new, big-time extension to put him close to the top of the quarterback market.
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