NFL fans react as $220,000,000 deal makes Packers' Jordan Love highest paid QB - "Definition of an overpay"

Jordan Love wanted to get paid after exceeding expectations as a first-time primary starter in the 2023-24 offseason. On Friday, the Green Bay Packers re-signed him to a five-year, $220-million extension. That ties him with Joe Burrow for the highest-paid player in the league, and he will also receive a $75 million signing bonus - the largest the league has ever seen:

Fans were shocked at the development:

"Dude won’t even be in the league in 4 years. Ridiculous," one fan said.

Other fans also commented:

"Unreal," one said.

"What are we doing?" another despairingly asked.

"History will not be kind to this overpayment," another predicted.

The signing should end the Packers' worries about seeing Love potentially continuing his holdout well into the season, given their dearth of talent at his position.

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Packers extending Jordan Love is part of one of the shrewdest franchise transitions in NFL history

When Jordan Love was drafted 26th overall by the Packers in 2020, many drew parallels to when Aaron Rodgers was drafted 24th overall fifteen years ago while Brett Favre was still playing in his late 30s. After learning from the bench for three seasons, Rodgers was eventually ready to assume the mantle.

But there is one element in this current transition that makes it more noteworthy. First, while Rodgers struggled to a 6-10 finish in his first full starting campaign, Love went 9-8 and reached the playoffs, even winning his Wild Card game.

The ensuing support for Love is a far cry from the bewilderment that marked his initial debut, justifying Brian Gutekunst's decision to back his new quarterback, according to The Athletic's Dianna Russini:

"Gutekunst has earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to making quarterback decisions four years later because, though it’s still very early in his career, Love appears to be the next franchise quarterback in Green Bay.

"And he may not have been that if he hadn’t been drafted when he was and sat behind Rodgers for three years, even if the selection complicated a whole bunch for the franchise as it pertained to the last couple of years Rodgers spent with the organization."

And handing out the record-breaking contract as soon as possible is further proof of that:

"Playing it safe would be waiting to pay Love until you’re even more sure he’s the guy, but who’s to say Love and agent David Mulugheta will be willing to deal? If Love played the first half of this season without a new contract and lit the league on fire, he’d then be incentivized to wait... but waiting might only complicate things."

The Packers' first game of the preseason comes against the Cleveland Browns on August 10. Their regular season begins in Sao Paulo, Brazil, against the Philadelphia Eagles on September 6.