Amid Holdout Reports, Jordan Love Does Not Deserve Highest Paid QB Status, Says 2X SB Winner, Questions NFL’s Elite Status Following Extensions

Jordan Love, the latest in Green Bay‘s quarterback royalty, is playing hardball. The Packers’ front office is sweating more than a linebacker in two days, and fans are wondering if their new golden boy is worth his weight in cheddar. The debate raging in Green Bay echoes across the league. 2x Super Bowl champ LeSean McCoy didn’t mince words on the “Speak” YouTube show today: “Should Jordan Love be the highest-paid quarterback? No, sir.”

McCoy elaborated, “He’s really, really good. He has a bright future for the Packers. But to be the highest-paid, it’s like we’ve come to a point in the game where being the best is not even being the best no more.” McCoy compared his career: “In my time of playing in the league, I had a guy like Adrian Peterson… I had to go out there and get a rushing title. I had to go out there and get first-team All-Pro. I had to do it. I had to go 2,000 yards on purpose to get elite money.”

James Jones, a former Packer himself, said, “From every position, you got to earn your bread.” He pointed out that Love was “the fifth-best quarterback in the NFC” last season, adding, “So you’re telling me in the NFL, he might not crack the top 10, and you’re telling me since he’s up next, he’s number one paid?” Love’s holdout and refusal to practice until the ink dries on a fresh contract is a bold move for a player with just one full season under his belt.

But in today’s NFL, potential is king, and Love’s 2023 campaign was nothing to sneeze at. He racked up 4,159 yards and 32 touchdowns, leading the Pack to the playoffs after a rocky 2-5 start. Packers GM Brian Gutekunst is putting on a brave face, telling reporters, “We completely understand where he’s coming from.” But, you bet there’s more tension behind the scenes than even in the fourth quarter.

However, there’s another side to this story. Analyst Mike Tannenbaum loves him some Love as he declared on NFL on ESPN last month, “Outside of Patrick Mahomes, if we, the four of us, were running an NFL team today, there is nobody on the planet I’d rather have than Jordan Love, period.” He added, “If he was an IPO, it’d be like buying NVIDIA three years ago.”

Tannenbaum isn’t the only one with glowing reviews. Some numbers show that Love might be outperforming Mahomes altogether. In 2023, Love threw for more touchdowns (32 vs 27) and fewer interceptions (11 vs 14) than the Chiefs’ star player.

The evolution of elite QB status and debate over contract extensions

The NFL’s quarterback market has gone as topsy-turvy as an Aaron Rodgers Hail Mary. Once upon a time, you needed a trophy case full of hardware to command top dollar. Now? A whiff of potential can land you in the $50 million club.

Take Trevor Lawrence‘s recent Jacksonville jackpot – $275 million over five years, with $200 million guaranteed. That’s Mahomes’ money for a guy who’s shown flashes but hasn’t reached the NFL’s peak. It’s enough to make old-school players like McCoy shake their heads.

“We’ve got to figure out a way to do this thing with the quarterbacks,” McCoy argued. “Because now it’s like, you’re a quarterback, and you’re good, we’re going to put you at the top of the market. And it shouldn’t be like that. We should get paid for what we do and where we are among all the rest of the great quarterbacks.”

The Packers are in a pickle. They’ve got a history of paying their franchise QBs top dollar, from Brett Favre to Rodgers. But Love’s case isn’t as clear as a crisp Wisconsin autumn day. His potential is mouth-watering, but his resume’s still cooking. Chris Simms stirred the pot even more, claiming Love would’ve beaten Mahomes in the Super Bowl if he’d been quarterbacking the 49ers instead of Brock Purdy. “If Jordan Love played in the Super Bowl (with San Francisco), the 49ers would be the Super Bowl champions,” Simms declared last month.

As the Packers and Love continue their financial face-off, one thing is clear; what it means to be an “elite” in the NFL is changing faster than a no-huddle offense. Joy Taylor put it succinctly saying: “There’s two different conversations that can be had—how quarterbacks should be paid and how they are paid.” Fans ponder alongside analysts: what makes a quarterback worth going broke over today? It will take time –and scores- to know better.