The Aaron Rodgers trade means a new day in Green Bay at quarterback — check out the details of the Packers’ Jordan Love contract.
It was bandied about for months. The rumors fairly flew, and then they flew some more. Finally, on April 24, 2023, the Green Bay Packers traded franchise legend and future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets for an arsenal of draft picks.
Suddenly, the balance of power in two NFL divisions became an incredibly intriguing question.
At Lambeau Field — barring an additional signing — it means the beginning of the Jordan Love era behind center.
Due to his humble rookie scale compensation amounting to four years and $12.38 million thanks to his status as a 2020 draft pick, it means a wildly different salary cap outlook for President/CEO Brian Gutekunst and General Manager Mark Murphy’s front office awash in the kind of flexibility the team hasn’t seen in years. That means flexibility, and on May 2, the Green Bay brain trust doubled down with a show of support in Love, investing in him to the tune of a one-year, $22.5 million extension as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Love is still very much an unknown around the NFL at 24 years of age, as he enters the 2023 season having appeared in just 10 games and thrown 83 passes. With that in mind, it’s worth a much closer look at what his modest salary footprint means for the Packers’ roster jigsaw puzzle as it relates to adding additional talent to maximize the potential the big Utah State standout brings to the table.
Let’s dive into the finer salary particulars behind the Packers’ Jordan Love contract.
Click here for Boardroom’s full breakdown of the Packers-Jets Aaron Rodgers trade.
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Jordan Love Contract & Salary Details
All dollar figures as noted by Spotrac.
Love’s Rookie Deal
Years: 4
Total value: $12,383,453
Average annual value: $3,095,863
Guaranteed at signing: $12,383,453
Love’s Contract Extension
Years: 1
Total value: $22,500,000
Guaranteed at signing: $13,500,000
Free agency: 2025
As a first-round draft pick, Love’s rookie deal included a fifth-year team option for 2024 worth $20.272 million, giving that original contract a max value of five years and $32.655 million at an average annual value of $6.531 million. Per NFL salary rules, the Packers had a deadline of May 2, 2023 to make a decision on the option year. Instead, the subsequent one-year extension takes the place of what would have been that 2024 salary number, giving his entire package an effective, retroactive value of five years and $34.883 million.
Compare all these numbers to Rodgers’ $59.5 million in effective cash earnings for the 2023 season and a dead cap number — basically what his team would owe him if they released him on the spot — that gets as high as $51.14 million for 2025.
Jordan Love’s Career Earnings
Salary data via Spotrac.
TOTAL CAREER EARNINGS THRU 2022 SEASON: $10,084,800
ESTIMATED CAREER EARNINGS THRU 2024 SEASON: $34,883,453
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