Whole Lot of Love: Packers Learn Price of Fifth-Year Option for Love

The Green Bay Packers learned the cost of picking up 2020 first-round pick Jordan Love’s fifth-year option. As expected, it’s a lot.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Feb 7, 2023 7:46 PM EST

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Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The cost of picking up quarterback Jordan Love’s fifth-year option will cost the Green Bay Packers $20.27 million, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported on Tuesday.

The Packers will have until May 1 – the Monday after the 2023 NFL Draft – to make the decision.

Fifth-year options come in four tiers: Multiple Pro Bowls on the original ballot ($32.416 million), one Pro Bowl ($29.504 million), playing time (75-plus percent of greater in two of first three seasons, an average of 75-plus percent over all three seasons or 50-plus percent in all three seasons; $23.171 million) or none of the above.

Love, obviously, didn’t meet any of those criteria – nor would he have had he replaced Aaron Rodgers down the stretch. The figure is based on the average of the third- through 25th-highest salaries among quarterbacks. If the Packers pick up the option, the salary is fully guaranteed.

If the Packers trade Rodgers – they remain in the dark on his playing future – then flipping the switch on the option would be an easy choice for general manager Brian Gutekunst. If the Packers and Rodgers agree to give it another shot in 2023, a much more difficult decision would await.

“I wouldn’t say that’s a given,” Gutekunst said of picking up Love’s option at the end of the season.

It might be financially impossible to keep Rodgers, with his 2024 cap number of $40.70 million, and Love, with his cap number of $20.27 million. The choices would be to pick up the option and figure out the rest of the cap next offseason, trade Love and re-start the search for Rodgers’ successor or let Love play out the final year of his expiring contract.

If you like symmetry, the Packers traded Favre after Rodgers’ third season and could trade Rodgers after Love’s third season.

Love turned in dismal performances vs. the Chiefs and Lions in 2021 but looked sharp – albeit in only nine attempts – against the Eagles in 2022.

“You’re talking about a four-time MVP, right?” Gutekunst said. “So, we are very excited about Jordan and where he’s at, there’s no doubt about that. But Jordan’s never played a 16-, 17-game season and gone through all that stuff. So, it’s no different than when we moved from Brett to Aaron. That’s a hard thing to say but, at the same time where Aaron’s at, the level he’s at, there’s not many teams he wouldn’t give the best chance to win.”