It's going to be a big year for Jordan Love. Or maybe I should say it has to be a big year for Jordan Love.
And while you could probably say that about 95% of the QBs around the NFL, Love's quickly entering a place no one wants to be: that dreaded middle ground between Bonafide Star and Pretty Good Franchise Player.
Love's had some stretches where he looks like one of the best QBs in football and others where he, uh, doesn't. And after factoring in the four-year, $220 million contract that Green Bay gave Love, it's not surprising to see so many people expect another step forward from him in 2025.
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Still, you could do a lot worse than Love – and you don't even need to look beyond his own division to see that's the case.
Jordan Love's contract isn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be
But don't tell that to the fine folks at NFL Spin Zone, who looked up and down the Packers roster and decided that Love's deal was the worst contract on Green Bay's books.
"Love is getting paid a whopping $55 million per year, and it's clear that the Packers are banking on him eventually exploding at some point," writes Lou Scataglia of NFL Spin Zone. "He's got the athleticism and tools to become a top-5 QB, but no one would dispute that he isn't. Heck, by the time 2025 is over, Love might be the third-best QB in his own division. Yes, he's a franchise passer, but he's going to end up being another guy in that tier with Dak Prescott, Tua Tagovailoa, and others if he can't help take this franchise to the next level."
I get it – $55 million per year is a ton, and it's a little surprising to be reminded that, on a per-year basis, he's the second-highest paid quarterback in football. But when you look at the Top-5 per-year salaries (Dak Prescott, Love, Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, and Tua Tagovailoa) Love's deal doesn't look so bad – the only QB on that list younger than Love is Lawrence, while both the total value and guaranteed money is significantly lower than all four other guys on that list.
Also, that's just what franchise QBs cost. There are a lot of guys with similar-looking contracts who either haven't been quite as good (Kyler Murray, Lawrence) or just straight up disastrous (Deshaun Watson, Kirk Cousins).
And no one else on that list rises to the occasion during Toyotathon, so when you think about that, the contract almost seems like a bargain.