Green Bay Packers Extend Starting Quarterback

The Green Bay Packers intend to take an extensive look at their new starting passer. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Packers have signed quarterback Jordan Love to a one-year extension worth up to $22.5 million that will keep him on the team through the 2024 season.

Packers and Jordan Love have agreed on a one-year contract extension worth up to $22.5 million, including $13.5 million fully guaranteed, per source. pic.twitter.com/OfW45KOu9m
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 2, 2023

The Packers declined to activate Love's fifth-year option last offseason, so the former first-round pick was set to play out the fourth and final year of his rookie contract in 2023. He was projected to earn approximately $2.3 million, so today's deal marks the most significant payout of his young career. The $13.5 million guaranteed he's reportedly earning will exceed the total value of his rookie contract.

The Packers traded away longtime franchise quarterback Aaron Rodgers this offseason, paving the way for Love to become only the third opening-day starter for the Packers since 1992. He has seen incredibly limited action so far in his career, but he demonstrated promise in 2022, completing 14 of his 21 passes for 195 yards and one touchdown while netting an impressive 9.29 yards per passing attempt.

Unfortunately for Love, he's inheriting a Packers roster with a lot of holes, particularly on offense. With Rodgers in tow, the Packers missed the playoffs and finished 14th in points scored and 17th in yards gained last year. When Rodgers took over starting duties in 2008, the Packers were coming off a 13-3 season in which they finished with the second-most yards in the league and the fourth-most points. The Packers' transition to Love is unlikely to go quite as smoothly.

Still, it's not impossible the Packers will benefit from the novelty that Love brings to their scheme. Just last season, Geno Smith rose from obscurity to lift the Seattle Seahawks back to relevance following the departure of future Hall of Famer Russell Wilson. With similar success, Love probably wouldn't have to wait long for another much more meaningful extension.