Getty Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon.
The Green Bay Packers locked up one of their biggest stars for the foreseeable future on July 21 when they signed defensive tackle Kenny Clark to a three-year, $64 million contract extension. Now, All-Pro Keisean Nixon wants to see them turn their attention toward signing quarterback Jordan Love for the long haul.
After news of Clark’s new extension broke on Sunday evening, Nixon sent a two-word message to the Packers front office via his X account that echoed many fan sentiments.
“Now #10,” Nixon wrote, showing his support for Love to receive his contract extension.
Negotiations between the Packers and Love remain ongoing with Love’s camp putting the caveat in place that the star quarterback will not practice for the team until he has his new contract and the financial security that comes with it. While it is unclear how much money Love’s team is seeking, a deal worth more than $50 million per season would put him in the upper echelon of annual quarterback pay in the NFL.
When talking about the situation ahead of Monday’s first practice, though, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst expressed that both sides “want the same thing,” which is to keep Love in Green Bay for the long-term future. He even admitted it is possible that they could have a new deal in place in a matter of days.
“Yeah, I think so. But again, you never know,” Gutekunst said. “We’re working really hard to get that done. I think it’s really important for us. At the same time, the thing that I have confidence in is that we both want the same thing. We want Jordan here for a long time, give him that stability and gives us some stability for our group as well.”
Jordan Love is Present at All Non-Practice Activities
Gutekunst told reporters on Monday morning that Love’s camp informed the team two days earlier that he would not participate in practice until his new deal is signed. He also expressed how important it is for the Packers to have their starting quarterback on the practice field as quickly as possible so they can properly prepare for the new season.
At the same time, Love is not holding out on the Packers; rather he is holding in, which means he has already reported for training camp and is participating in all of the team meetings and other activities. He simply won’t practice without a new deal to avoid a potential incident that could muck up the negotiation process for himself (i.e. injury).
Fortunately, the Packers have excellent negotiators on both sides of the table working in their favor. Russ Ball, the Packers executive who handles negotiations and managing the team’s salary cap, sits on the team’s side with decades of experience under his belt, including negotiations with four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers. And on Love’s side sits one of the league’s most experienced agents, David Mulugheta, repping the 25-year-old.
Put simply, a contract extension for Love appears to be a matter of when, not if.
“These things are big deals, and it takes a little bit of time to get it right for what we need,” Gutekunst said. “But I feel we’re close.”
Will Jordan Love’s New Contract Reset the QB Market?
Love might only have one full season of starting experience under his belt, but he seemed to validate the Packers’ patience process with him in the second half of the 2023 season. Love played at an elite level down the stretch for the Packers, helping them win six of their final eight games and taking them as far as the NFC divisional round of the playoffs before bowing out with a narrow 24-21 loss to San Francisco.
The question now is: How much money has Love’s half-season of greatness earned him?
It remains possible that Love could reset the quarterback market with his new contract. Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow and Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence both signed five-year, $275 million contract extensions with their respective teams in the past year, setting the new standard for average annual earnings at $55 million per year. If the Packers believe him to be their long-term answer at quarterback, they could agree to pay him similar money.
The Packers must also weigh the small sample size of Love’s strong play. He took some time early in 2023 to figure things out, making mistakes expected of a first-year starter. Maybe Love’s elite-caliber finish convinced them of his long-term viability, but the truth of the matter is the Packers really only have one season of proven play to evaluate — despite the fact that they spent three seasons incubating him behind Rodgers.
The Packers will likely not want to make the same mistakes they made with Davante Adams (offering him too low and alienating him to the point of no return), but that does not mean they will cave and pay him $50 million or more annually.