Paid on Potential. Green Bay Packers fans can breathe a sigh of relief. Not that there was any doubt. Green Bay showed Jordan Love the love, making him the highest paid quarterback in NFL history. By now you know the numbers. Four years, $220 million. $150 or so guaranteed. Green Bay had no choice, and they knew it.
What were the Packers supposed to do. They were going to have to sign him, sooner or later. The way it works now, the sooner you sign a quarterback, the better. We can argue the sample size of his success warranting the size of this deal all day long. It doesn't matter. Unless you have been living under a rock in the last two decades when it comes to NFL quarterbacks, this is how the game works. You do not have to win a Super Bowl to get paid. Hell, you don't even have to make a Super Bowl to get paid.
Annual Average Value (AAV):
1. Jordan Love. $55 Million 5. Jared Goff. $53 Million
2. Trevor Lawrence $55 Million 6. Justin Herbert $52.5 Million
3. Joe Burrow. $55 Million 7. LaMarr Jackson. $52 Million
4. Tua $53.1 Million 8. Jalen Hurts $51 Million
Very inconspicuous with his absence is arguably the best quarterback of this generation, if not a top five quarterback of all time, Patrick Mahomes. Oh I am sure he will get paid at some point, but this stat just goes to show you what its all about in the NFL....getting paid on potential. Hurts, Goff, and Burrow have been there. But nobody on this list has hoisted the Lombardi Trophy. You gotta love the NFL.
These quarterbacks listed above have the likes of Deshaun Watson and Kirk Cousins to thank. They broke the seal when it comes to quarterbacks getting paid for the dreaded "Potential" and not delivering any type of success. What have they done besides put up gaudy numbers in the regular season, and get injured more often than not. Or in Watson's case, getting himself suspended, warranted or not. You gotta love it. I know Jordan does.
Now all the eyes following quarterbacks will turn their attention to Dak Prescott. $60 million is a big upgrade over $55 million. But hey, why not. Every other quarterback gets paid on what they might do, as opposed to what they have done. Wide receivers, linemen, and defenders are getting monster monster money for that potential and not winning. Why should quarterbacks be any different.
Jordan Love has some big shoes to fill. After stepping out of Aaron Rodgers' shadow, and after a rocky start to 2023, he came on like gangbusters. He and the Packers rolled into the playoffs, and punked Dak and The Cowboys at Jerry's Place in that playoff win. I am denying his talent. Green Bay has obviously hit the motherlode when it comes to quarterbacks in the last thirty plus years. Who knows, he could outshine them and win two Super Bowls. But the big question is, does he have the talent around him to succeed like Rodgers and Favre. Will this big contract give the Packers the ability to keep building that talent around him. Will his offensive line be able to hold up. Favre and Rodgers had that. Rodgers squandered many opportunities with great talent around him.
I hope you weren't surprised that Love got this deal. It had to happen. Quarterbacks getting paid on potential are like death and taxes. Inevitable. The Packers did the right thing by ripping that bandaid now. Now all of us unpaid arm chair quarterbacks can rip something else.
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