Getty Packers quarterback Jordan Love.
Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers remain locked in negotiations over his next NFL contract as he continues to hold out from training camp. Based on the latest intel from The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, though, the Packers are willing — and expected — to reset the quarterback market when they sign him to his new deal.
Russini had both good news and bad news to report in her July 24 update about the ongoing negotiations between Love and the Packers. On the positive side, Love and the Packers are both “optimistic” about getting a deal done and ending his current holdout from camp. The downside, though, is she believes it could still take a few weeks.
“I expect the Green Bay Packers and Jordan Love to strike a deal over the next few weeks of training camp, as both sides are optimistic,” Russini wrote Wednesday. “Based on conversations with sources, Love’s expected to become the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL.”
Love would need to sign a contract worth more than $55 million per season to surpass Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence and become the league’s highest-paid quarterback in terms of average annual value. Yahoo Sports’ Jori Epstein also believes the Packers will need “at least pony up the equivalent” of those two contracts to satisfy Love, according to her source with knowledge of their negotiations.
If Love does claim the title of highest-paid NFL quarterback, though, Russini does not think it will last long with Dallas Cowboys star Dak Prescott also pushing for a new deal.
Dak Prescott Could Quickly Surpass Jordan Love & Sign Cowboys Contract Worth $60 Million Annually
Love’s contract negotiations with the Packers are among the most notable in the NFL right now. His holdout also adds some urgency to the talks even though Love is still present for team meetings and participating in most of their non-practice activities.
Elsewhere in the NFC, though, the Cowboys are “working hard” to get a new contract in place with Prescott, according to Russini. He is entering the final year of the four-year, $160 million extension he signed with the Cowboys in 2021 and carrying a massive $55.1 million cap hit for the 2024 season. (For reference, Burrow has just a $29.5 million cap hit in 2024 on a deal that is worth $15 million more annually).
Naturally, the Cowboys want to retain Prescott — who became a Pro Bowler for the third time in his career in 2023 — as their franchise quarterback for the foreseeable future to extend their title window. And keeping the 30-year-old happy might require them to fork over a market-resetting deal that exceeds whatever Love earns in the end.
Fortunately, from the Packers end, Prescott’s deal should not matter much unless the Cowboys sign him before Green Bay agrees to a new contract with Love. Prescott signing his contract first could prompt Love’s camp to use it as leverage to drive up the value of Love’s eventual deal, using it as a new reference point for the highest paid.
All the more reason for the Packers to beat the Cowboys to the punch and sign Love.
Packers Offense Looking Rough at Training Camp Practices Without Jordan Love Leading the Way
Putting Prescott’s negotiations aside, the Packers do not have to look beyond their own practice field to find motivation to sign Love to a new deal quickly.
The Packers defense has dominated the first week of practice without Love running the offense. The struggles of Sean Clifford — a 2023 fifth-round pick and Love’s returning backup — have persisted from OTAs into the early parts of camp with The Athletic reporting that he has thrown five picks in three practices as the No. 1 quarterback.
The Packers’ only other options are seventh-round rookie Michael Pratt and recently signed veteran Jacob Eason, who has thrown two interceptions in 10 career passes.
“Every day he misses is not great for our football team,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst told Epstein this week. “We certainly understand the decisions he’s making. But yeah, this time is really, really important for our entire team. Certainly for him as well and we want him out there. We’d like him out there. We expect him out there.”