On Friday night, Jordan Love secured his bag. He signed a four-year contract extension with the Green Bay Packers worth $220 million total, with $155 million guaranteed. It is, indeed, a whole lot of money for someone with exactly one full season under their belt, but that's the going price for quarterbacks in the NFL nowadays.
Packers GM Brian Gutekunst clearly believed that one full season was enough to justify the deal Love got and hammered that home Saturday, giving high praise to the young quarterback shortly before he officially inked the deal.
“How [Jordan Love] handled this past year, becoming the guy and handling that pressure, coming out the other side of it gave us a lot of confidence that this is the guy that’s going to lead us into the future," Gutekunst said, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
Love played last season in the giant shadow of Aaron Rodgers and, while he suffered a rocky start, thrived down the stretch. The 2020 first-round draft pick finished the season with 4,159 yards and 32 touchdowns to go with 11 interceptions. He led the Packers to the playoffs and an absolutely dominant victory over the Dallas Cowboys on the road before nearly upsetting the eventual NFC champion San Francisco 49ers.
Love took his lumps but the Packers clearly believe this is only the beginning. Love is being paid for the quarterback the franchise thinks he will become rather than the quarterback he is now. If the stretch run of the 2023 season is any indication, it's a good bet to make.
Love will get his first chance to prove the organization right on Sept. 6 against the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Packers GM Brian Gutekunst Showers Praise on Jordan Love After Record Contract Extension.
