The Packers won’t be exercising the fifth-year option for quarterback Jordan Love, after all.
They won’t need to.
The team and the player have agreed to a one-year extension, via multiple reports. It reportedly has $13.5 million fully guaranteed, and it’s worth “up to” $22.5 million -- which clearly means he has to reach certain playing-time and/or team/individual achievements to get there.
It’s a win-win for the Packers and Love. Green Bay faced the question of whether it would commit to $20.3 million fully guaranteed for 2024. Love faced the prospect of making $2.298 million for 2023 with no security beyond the current season.
If Love meets the various triggers, he’ll make what he would have made under the fifth-year option. He’ll also have significant protection (more than $10 million) against the possibility of playing poorly in 2023, or of getting injured.
It’s a sensible approach for any team with a largely unproven first-round pick entering the fourth year of his rookie deal. In lieu of the option/no-option black-and-white decision, come up with a hybrid approach that gives the player more than he would get in year four, along with the ability to make everything he’d get in year five -- if things pan out.
