The Green Bay Packers had plenty of offseasons filled with drama in recent years, but the team is reportedly hoping for a more drama-free approach with Jordan Love’s upcoming contract extension.
ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler spoke about Love’s contract situation during a SportsCenter segment on Saturday, June 15. Fowler explained how general manager Brian Gutekunst wants to take a different approach.
“Brian Gutekunst wants to get something done before training camp,” Fowler said. “Probably a little bit of pressure on him after the way Aaron Rodgers’ situation went years ago. They want a cleaner situation for his contract.”
Gutekunst has added pressure on him to get a deal done after the most recent quarterback extension. The Jacksonville Jaguars agreed to a five-year, $275 million extension with Trevor Lawrence on June 13.
All eyes are now on the Packers as they work to get a deal done with Love.
Latest On Jordan Love’s Upcoming Extension
Even though the two sides are working on a deal, Love doesn’t seem interested in adding any drama to the situation.
Love has been present for all of the team’s offseason workouts, including mandatory minicamp. Meanwhile, players like Haason Reddick and CeeDee Lamb have been notably absent from offseason workouts as they holdout for new deals.
There doesn’t seem to be any panic on Love’s end about negotiations on a new deal. In fact, he kept his answers notably short when asked about his upcoming extension. When asked is he was optimistic about a deal getting done, Love simply answered with “yes”.
Meanwhile, Gutekunst has made it clear that the two sides want to get a deal done before training camp.
“We’re in those conversations right now,” Gutekunst told 97.3 The Game. “The nice part about this is none of these things are always easy or fast, but both parties want the same thing. We’d like to get this done before training camp for sure. Both parties want to get a contract extension done.”
Love looked like an MVP-caliber quarterback by the end of the 2023 season. He’ll need to keep proving it in the coming seasons, but the Packers need to make sure they can secure a long-term deal with him so that he can stay in Green Bay.
Kenny Clark Is Also Looking to Get Paid
While the Packers are working on a deal for Love, they’re also trying to figure out what the future holds for Kenny Clark.
Clark is now one of the team’s longest-tenured players despite being just 28 years old. A first-round pick back in 2016, he’s been a three-time Pro Bowler and one of the most consistent players on Green Bay’s defense.
However, Clark is now on the final year of his contract. He’ll hit free agency in 2025 if a deal doesn’t get done. The good news is that he sounds optimistic about another extension.
“I’m getting a good vibe,” Clark told reporters are minicamp. “I hope so. You never know what the structure, whatever, you never know. I’m optimistic about it, it’s been great talks, hasn’t been anything I’ve had an issue with, so I’ve got confidence it’s going to get done. We’ll just have to see.”
The Packers don’t give out third contracts often to veterans. However, Clark’s consistent dominance might make him an exception.
