NFL analyst issues warning to Packers about Jordan Love contract
A little over four weeks away from the start of training camp, the Green Bay Packers have yet to agree to terms on a long-term extension with Jordan Love.
General manager Brian Gutekunst wants it finished before the start of camp, but the July 22 deadline is nearing.
The Packers will extend Love's contract this offseason. Lock it in. It will happen. However, the delay is surprising. Green Bay had to wait until May 3 to officially sign Love to an extension, but negotiations began months before that.
Trevor Lawrence and Jared Goff have raised the bar in the quarterback market, and Tua Tagovailoa and Dak Prescott could land new deals soon. There's no reason for the Packers to delay any longer.
ESPN analyst Louis Riddick believes Packers need to get Jordan Love deal done soon
ESPN analyst and former NFL player and executive Louis Riddick believes Green Bay needs to get the deal done.
"You've got to step out there. With these quarterbacks, we know this: The price ain't going to do nothing but go up as the salary cap goes up and as the revenues go up," said Riddick. "Just go ahead and get it done now because he is the future."
"If I'm Jordan Love, I go back to Brian [Gutekunst] and say, 'Hey look, I was better than Trevor Lawrence. I was better than Jared Goff,'" said Riddick.
He's 100 percent correct.
Lawrence's new deal tied Joe Burrow's league-leading $55 million salary. That doesn't help the Packers. Tagovailoa and Prescott will likely receive deals in a similar range or perhaps for even more money.
Where does that leave Love?
Earlier this offseason, we were talking about him receiving an average per year in the $50 million range. Forget about that. As ESPN's Adam Schefter noted, Love will likely want at least the same deal as Lawrence.
Love is the Packers' future. He more than proved that in the second half of the season. Sure, Gutekunst would love a larger sample size, but that was never going to happen with Aaron Rodgers playing three more years after drafting Love. Green Bay gave him a one-year extension last offseason with a chance to prove himself, and the former first-round pick showed superstar potential.
Riddick is right that the Packers need to get it done. I'm confident they will get it done, and soon. Hopefully, the new deal is finalized before the start of training camp.