Packers star set for massive payday in July; is Green Bay overspending?

Packers star set for massive payday in July; is Green Bay overspending?

The Green Bay Packers are about to make a 25-year-old one of the highest-paid players in the NFL.

Green Bay surprised everyone last season, overachieving on the way to a 9-8 record and an epic Wild Card Playoff victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

The Packers have Jordan Love to thank for much of their success in 2023, and now Green Bay is getting ready to reward Love handsomely.

Matt Schneidman reported for The Athletic on Monday that the Packers are widely expected to finalize a monstrous extension for Love before July 22.

"(Love) could be the next big quarterback domino to fall after Trevor Lawrence recently tied Joe Burrow for the highest average annual salary in the sport," Schneidman said. "Love could become the highest-paid player in NFL history by that metric, if only because of where the market is and what the Packers and his representation project him to become over the next few years. Love is entering a contract year, and general manager Brian Gutekunst told local radio station The Game that he wants to get a deal done before training camp opens July 22."

With Lawrence's annual salary in the realm of $55M, Love is expected to receive at least an equally as lucrative contract from Green Bay, seeing as he's just as good or better than Lawrence.

Some could argue that such a massive contract is an overpay for Love, as he's played just one season as a starter.

On the other hand, Love performed like an elite quarterback last season, throwing for 4,159 yards and 32 touchdowns. There's no reason to believe that his play won't continue to meet -- or even exceed -- the new expectations he has created for himself in Green Bay. If "where the market is," as Scheidman said, exists around $55M a year for the NFL's top quarterbacks, Love has played himself into that market.

Love was drafted at No. 26 overall by the Packers in the 2020 NFL Draft and backed up Aaron Rodgers during the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

With an array of offensive weapons at his disposal, Love is regarded as a sleeper MVP candidate for the 2024 season.

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