QB Contracts: Jordan Love likely to get big money
It makes sense that most players take advantage of every opportunity to bargain for better terms, given the reality of football injuries and the absence of guarantees on the majority of agreements.
QB Jordan Love of Green Bay will not practice until he receives a new deal.Love is a “hold-in,” since he arrived at camp on schedule and will take part in team exercises after practice. The general manager of the Packers, Brian Gutekunst, told our Matt Schneidman that he was not concerned and that a deal might be reached shortly.
I questioned Matt twice in an attempt to learn more about the situation in Green Bay:
It doesn’t sound like Love’s “hold-in” will last long. But what’s the realistic worst-case outcome here?
Matt: I do not think the contract impasse will stretch that long, but in the worst case scenario, Love’s hold-in extends until joint practices in mid-August. Love is taking part in every activity aside from practice; on Monday, he accompanied head coach Matt LaFleur outside of the locker room.
If the Packers do pay Love, where do you expect his APY to land?
Matt Given how little Love has played, it may seem implausible to pay him more than $55 million annually and establish him as the highest-paid player in NFL history, but I would not be shocked if he surpasses the record set by Trevor Lawrence and Joe Burrow. That could appear like a deal in the future for a man Gutekunst referred to as the Packers’ “franchise quarterback” on Monday, given the rate at which contracts are increasing.
Love has demonstrated all the necessary skills to be successful in the NFL; as the Packers went 6-2 starting in Week 11, he led the league in passing yards and QB rating. However, for a 25-year-old who has only made 18 career starts, it is a significant commitment. Is love really worth this kind of money? After watching the film to get his answer, Ted Nguyen came to the conclusion that, following Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay had most likely identified its third long-term quarterback in a row. It has to be pleasant.
Other quarterbacks waiting
Love is one of four star quarterbacks looking for new deals. The three others:
- Dak Prescott: Prescott is now directly involved in the Cowboys’ ongoing discussions with their franchise quarterback. After this season, the runner-up for MVP last year is expected to become a free agent.Complete camp participant, deal or no deal, is my prediction.
- Tua Tagovailoa: Before training camp began today, the Dolphins were hoping to reach an agreement with Tagovailoa. The 26-year-old, who is about to enter the fifth and final year of his rookie contract, is expected to get at least $50 million.Forecast: A hold-in like to Love at a camp.
- Matthew Stafford: Signing Stafford to a four-year, $160 million deal in 2022 was a steal for the Rams with the 35-year-old playing like a top-five quarterback. He wants added guarantees to his contract. Prediction: Stafford is expected to attend training camp.
You can stay updated on all things training camp with our live blog.
What Dianna’s Hearing: Saquon says Giants ‘weren’t in play’
Following the Giants’ offseason, if you have been watching “Hard Knocks,” you may have noticed that the Saquon Barkley negotiations were close to the end.
Barkley, though, told me a quite different tale in today’s new “Scoop City” audio episode.The now-star running back for the Eagles stated that the Giants “truly were not in play” and that he ultimately explored three teams before choosing Philadelphia. He stressed that the Giants were not one of the other two finalists, but he would not name them.
Barkley claims that the way “Hard Knocks” was edited gave the impression that he was engaged in protracted talks with his previous squad. When Barkley really spoke with general manager Joe Schoen right after the season, he reaffirmed his intention to stay a “Giant for life.”Schoen assured him that he could survey the market and return with a proposal that the team would think about accepting.Barkley continued by saying he was aware the Giants would not be sincere suitors.
He only had one other conversation with Schoen, which was shown on the broadcast. “I had the impression that the Giants believed I would receive an offer for nine million, possibly eight million, extend at ten million, and then I would return to them. Schoen established a price range that he was prepared to pay and was not planning to exceed it.
In the end, Barkley agreed to take an offer from the Eagles that guaranteed $26 million and averaged more than $12.5 million a year for three years.
Barkley said of Schoen: “Kudos to him for sticking to his gut. I kind of felt it was a little disrespectful, to be honest.”
In our interview, Barkley was undoubtedly honest—at times, startlingly so—sharing not just his viewpoint on the negotiations taking place this offseason, but also details of the previous summer’s franchise tag-fueled dispute with the team. In addition, he expressed his one regret about the way everything turned out and used strong language to characterize his new fan base.
Giants fans, Eagles fans, and football fans should find this one just as fascinating as I did. Click here to listen.
Back to you, Jacob.
Two Dark Horse Contenders, Two Questions
Josh Kendall released his pre-training camp Power Rankings as the NFL offseason got underway, and The Athletic’s crew revealed a major query for each of the 32 teams.
Let’s quickly look at how two dark horse contenders are covered in each:
- Cleveland Browns: While they may not be true dark horses based on their impressive rating of sixth on Josh’s list, they are still the Browns. Despite suffering a plethora of injuries in 2023, Cleveland managed to win 11 games, which astonished me given they were ranked above the Cowboys, Bills, and Jets.Which Deshaun Watson is it that they get? is undoubtedly the key question.The Browns will be difficult to beat if the three-time Pro Bowler finds his previous level of play in Houston.
- Green Bay Packers: Coming into this season with an 8th-place ranking, the fourth-youngest playoff team in NFL history is hoping to improve on a fantastic offensive performance that saw them fall three points short of the NFC championship game. The pivotal query? Protection. Will their new defensive coordinator, in particular, help them improve in the takeaway department (31st in interceptions) and against the run (23rd in yards per attempt allowed)?
Fantasy Football Draft Kit
The Athletic’s 2024 fantasy draft kit went available early this morning. For you, what does that mean? Your current project will require an additional day, therefore your boss will have to wait.
I sent a message to editor and legendary fantasy football player Brandon Funston, wanting to know what is new in this year’s outfit, because it is so full of stuff. He stated the following:
“We’ll have the staples that every fantasy football manager thirsts for — sleepers, breakouts, player rankings … and Jake Ciely’s indispensable cheat sheet generator.
“Also look for our unique competing strategies, mock draft, head-to-head debates for players with a negligible difference in draft value, a heavier dose of dynasty content given its ever-growing popularity and much more.
“And, of course, we always take requests in the event you don’t find what you are looking for.”
I began by looking at Jake’s 2024 fantasy sleepers, and I was happy to see that he had my guy, RB Jaleel McLaughlin, a must-draft who could fill in for Sean Payton as Denver’s Alvin Kamara.
There will be more entertainment in Raiders camp than just watching quarterback Aidan O’Connell battle Gardner Minshew II. Zamir White wants to, first and foremost, take Josh Jacobs’s place. Here are some more Costa Mesa movies to watch.
According to HC Kevin O’Connell, Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson is “far ahead of schedule” in his recuperation, having met a number of milestones throughout his convalescence.
Bo Nix is regarded as the Broncos’ long- and short-term quarterback solution. Nick Kosmider investigates the tight edge Denver is walking.
Cowboys storylines are plentiful ahead of training camp, as usual. Although contract negotiations take center stage, Dallas is seeing a lot more activity.
Jacob’s Picks
The Bills want to be leaders.I found Tim Graham’s analysis of how the team is assuming the leadership hole left by Buffalo’s “Red Wedding” from Game of Thrones to be rather interesting. (The Sportsman)
Caleb Williams’ growth.Bears OC Shane Waldron discussed the starting quarterback’s development throughout OTAs and his current status as training camp gets underway. Lots of positive coach rhetoric.(YouVersion)
straight out of Sean McVay.The Rams coach welcomed Robert Mays inside his house to talk about McVay’s development, what Matthew Stafford allows the Rams to accomplish, and what it was like to train Aaron Donald. (The Football Show with Athletics)
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