When Green Bay traded up to draft Jordan Love with the 26th pick in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, many Packers fans were disgruntled as the team still had Aaron Rodgers and what he needed was some offensive weapons, not a backup.
Instead, the team chose the future over the present by selecting the Utah State Aggies quarterback.
The 2020 NFL Draft will go down in history as it took place during the Pandemic when cities were shut down and social distancing was the word of the year.
The Draft was conducted remotely, with Commissioner Goodell running it from his basement while interacting with fans through Zoom. It was a pretty smooth experience and one with very few surprises, the early exception being the Dolphins selecting Tua Tagovailoa over Justin Herbert, followed by the Eagles whiffing by selecting Jalen Reagor over Justin Jefferson and Brandon Aiyuk.
After Aiyuk was taken by the 49ers, the Packers made their move, traded with Miami and selected their QB of the future.
In his first season, Love did nothing but tote the clipboard for Aaron Rodgers. His second and third years were repeats of year one, leading many to doubt Love’s NFL abilities. Some even said the Packers wasted a first-round pick, but the team remained confident in what they had.
So confident that they traded Rodgers to the Jets in 2023 and gave Love the ball.
And Love responded with an incredible season for a first-year starter.
After waiting for three seasons, Love unleashed the talents Green Bay saw when they first set eyes on him as Rodgers’ successor, throwing for 4,159 yards (7th in the NFL), 32 TDs and 11 INTs. He also rushed for 247 yards and 4 TDs and the Packers finished 9-8 and snagged a postseason birth.
That’s where Love showed out.
In his first playoff game ever, Love carved up the Cowboys for 272 passing yards and 3 TDs in a 48-32 upset in Dallas. While their run ended the following week in San Francisco, Love put the world on notice that he had arrived.
Now that he’s entering year 2 entrenched as the Packers’ starting QB, Love wants the big contract that he’s owed.
His base salary is $10.5 million per Over The Cap, which is why he, wisely, isn’t currently practicing with the team. After his 2023 season, and the addition of Josh Jacobs at running back, Love is expected to take the team deeper into the playoffs this coming season, but he’ll need a suitable contract to do it.
The 25-year-old QB wants to be in the class with Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, Jared Goff, Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts, who are all making over $50 million this season.
Is it the right move to give a one-year starter that type of money? Based on his talent and performance, the answer is yes or close to it.
As we wrote previously, Jordan Love followed the path of Steve McNair and reaped the benefits of sitting and learning before showing what he could do.
And like McNair, the young QB has fans dreaming of another Super Bowl.
So get ready to write that check Green Bay.
