Packers GM: Jordan Love Contract Option 'a Lot of Money for a Guy Who Hasn't Played'

Jordan Love is the Green Bay Packers' new starting quarterback, but he's not exactly getting the biggest vote of confidence.

The Packers are yet to pick up Love's $20.3 million fifth-year option for 2024, and general manager Brian Gutekunst doesn't sound thrilled about potentially guaranteeing the Utah State product that money.

"It's a lot of money for a guy who hasn't played, but at the same time, we're moving forward with him," Gutekunst told reporters Saturday.

This is an understandable thought for a general manager to have but an odd one to publicly vocalize.

Love has started precisely one game in his three-year NFL career, a largely disastrous performance against the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021. He's thrown for just 606 yards and three touchdowns against three interceptions in parts of 10 games, completing an unimpressive 60.2 percent of his passes.

While he has some level of athleticism, Love's not a particularly elite runner either, making his pocket presence paramount to his success.

There are fundamental questions about whether Love can even be an average NFL starting quarterback, let alone one worthy of filling Aaron Rodgers' shoes. While Rodgers had a similarly limited resume when replacing Brett Favre, he made seven quality starts before the Packers made a major financial commitment.

Love's fifth-year option is worth nearly as much as Rodgers made guaranteed in his initial extension with the Packers. You can understand the hesitation.

That said, the Packers traded their future Hall of Fame, four-time MVP to give Love a chance. A $20.3 million commitment isn't a cap backbreaker even if Love doesn't pan out and the Packers want to find a new quarterback in 2024.

Declining the option puts the Packers potentially in a situation similar to what the New York Giants faced this offseason. A year ago, the Giants turned down Daniel Jones' fifth-year option and then wound up having to fork over a $160 million contract after the Duke product showed marked improvement. No one's sold on Jones being a franchise quarterback, but he's making generational money because of short-term thinking a year ago.

The Packers should and likely will exercise Love's fifth-year option and give themselves two full seasons to see if he pans out.