Jordan Love, Packers Have Had 'Preliminary' Contract Talks, GM Brian Gutekunst Says

The Green Bay Packers have opened extension talks with quarterback Jordan Love, though a deal between the sides doesn't appear to be imminent.

"There's been some preliminary discussions," general manager Brian Gutekunst told reporters Monday. "We want to do it the right way and certainly the sooner the better. But at the same time, we want to make sure we do it the right way. So we've started, but it's not something that's gonna go quickly, it'll take some time."

Love's first season as the starting quarterback in Green Bay was an unqualified success, though his path to that point was bumpy, largely due to factors outside of his control.

The team drafted him with a first-round pick in 2020 to serve as Aaron Rodgers' successor, though the former wasn't thrilled with the pick, ostensibly wanting more weapons to work with in the short term.

Love, 25, promptly served as Rodgers' backup for three seasons before the veteran was traded to the New York Jets ahead of the 2023 campaign. His successor threw for 4,159 yards, 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions this past season, completing 64.2 percent of his passes and taking 30 sacks while leading the Green Bay Packers to a 9-8 record and playoff berth.

Love then orchestrated an upset over the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card Round, throwing for three touchdowns, before a pair of interceptions against the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round stymied another upset bid.

Few players in the NFL finished the season on a higher note. Between the final eight games of the regular season and the playoff matchup with Dallas, Love threw 21 touchdowns to just one interception. In the process, he answered any questions about whether he could be a franchise cornerstone going forward.

In 2024, he'll play under the one-year, $13.5 million deal agreed upon with the team last offseason to preclude his fifth-year option. That deal included $9 million in potential bonuses, per Spotrac, half of which Love has already earned.

It remains to be seen if his one year of production will translate into Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts-esque money. But it makes sense for the Packers to lock him up for the foreseeable future, and that isn't going to come cheap.