Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst told reporters Thursday that he plans to offer starter quarterback Jordan Love a significant contract extension this offseason.
Last offseason, the Packers basically replaced the fifth-year option in Love’s rookie contract with an extension that preserved his rights with the team until 2024. Green Bay then opened this season 2-5, and Gutekunst intimated at the time that the next ten games of the season will determine Love’s long-term status with the franchise.
Love eventually led the Packers to a 9-8 record, a playoff berth, and a postseason triumph over the Dallas Cowboys, before nearly winning a divisional-round game against the Super Bowl-bound San Francisco 49ers.
According to ESPN statistics, Love finished the 2023 regular season ranked ninth in the NFL among qualifying players with a 62.1 adjusted QBR, 11th with a 96.1 passer rating, and second with 32 air touchdowns.
Despite these figures, one unidentified NFL executive told Mike Sando of The Athletic in December that the Packers should take a “play-it-out-and-franchise-tag” approach to Love’s future, as the 2020 first-round draft pick has only 18 regular-season starts on his resume.
“You have to make the decision on whether or not he has the skill set to elevate lesser talent around him,” the executive went on to say.
It appears that Gutekunst has already made his decision ahead of Super Bowl LVIII.