2:11
Will Tuana Jordan Love make the playoffs this year?
Joe Fortenbaugh ruled out Tua Tagovailoa and Jordan Love winning playoff games this season for the Dolphins and Packers, respectively.
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Anyone who thought the Green Bay Packers were too hasty when they agreed to a big-money extension with Jordan Love on Friday should take a history lesson, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
Go back to the archives or search this on Google: How many games did Aaron Rodgers start before the Packers extended his contract?
There are only seven.
The Packers opted out of Rodgers’ 2005 rookie contract and signed him to a five-year, $65 million extension on Oct. 31, 2008, including $40.5 million over the first three years of the deal. That may seem paltry compared to Love, but Love will make more than that in the first year as part of a four-year, $220 million deal that ties him with Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals as the highest-paid QB in NFL history. However, Rodgers’ contract ranks in the top five for quarterback salaries.
Up until that point, Rodgers had thrown 12 touchdowns and four interceptions while leading the Packers to a 4-3 record. He had a passer rating of 98.8 despite missing the previous three games with a shoulder injury.
“We try to be proactive in our discussions with our players, and we felt this was the right time to come to an agreement with Aaron,” said late general manager Ted Thompson, who decided enough was enough to move forward. “We feel this is good for the organization and the players, and we will continue to take that approach going forward.”
Current GM Brian Gutekunst, who was the Packers’ area scout at the time, no doubt kept it in storage for future consideration. He eventually followed Thompson’s lead in selecting Rodgers (even though Brett Favre was still playing at a high level) and Love in the first round of the 2020 draft (even though Rodgers was still playing at a high level).
Like Love, Rodgers spent three years as a backup and was still on his rookie contract when he became the starter. That was before first-round pick contracts had fifth-year options, so Rodgers signed a five-year deal, meaning he was under contract through 2009.
Last May, Gutekunst had an option to opt into the fifth year of Love’s rookie contract, which would have guaranteed Love $20.272 million for the 2024 season. Instead, the two sides agreed to a one-year extension. That deal gave Love more upfront, and he received an $8.788 million signing bonus. It also made it easier for the Packers to move on after 2023 if they believed Love wasn’t their guy.
When the calendar turned to November, there were still questions. The Packers were 2-5, and when Gutekunst had his annual midseason session with reporters, he was asked if it would take more than a season to evaluate Love as the long-term answer. He said he hoped not, but made it clear how important the rest of the season is to that evaluation.
All Love did was throw 18 touchdowns to just one interception over the last eight games and lead the Packers to the playoffs. He then had a stellar performance in the wild-card game at the Dallas Cowboys before the Packers’ season ended with a loss in the divisional round to the San Francisco 49ers.
In that sense, he was a step ahead of Rodgers, who didn’t play in a playoff game until his second season as a starter. The following year, he led the Packers to the Super Bowl.
“The nice thing about having a guy who’s been in your building for the last four years is you absolutely know who he is,” Gutekunst said. “There’s no guarantees about anything going forward, but we know how he’s going to react, how he’s going to react, how he’s going to work. Instead of taking a guy who hasn’t been in your building and guaranteeing him everything.
“Certainly having him for four years has given us a lot of comfort and given us a sense of who he is as a person and how his teammates view him and how the organization views him.”
The Packers have changed a lot since this time last year. They had to hope that Love would succeed. Now they’re ready to build a team around him for the next few years.
“A year ago, obviously going into OTAs and going into the offseason, there were a lot of questions about what he could do,” Packers receiver Romeo Dubbs said. “As far as his balance and control, [last] This year, I think he’s done a great job of staying pretty neutral as long as he doesn’t get too high or too low. Jordan’s future is bright. I’m excited to be on this journey with him. I’m looking forward to progress and growth.”
