Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst answered questions about Jordan Love’s extension on Saturday morning. The deal is worth $220 million over four years, averages $55 million per year and includes a $75 million signing bonus.
“Really excited for Jordan Love, his family. He’s been through a lot here. He’s worked his tail off and he’s certainly earned this,” Gutekunst said Saturday.
Gutekunst answered questions on the extension for roughly 15 minutes before practice.
Here are the highlights:
— Gutekunst said Love is signing the contract on Saturday morning and will be at practice at 10:30 a.m. The Packers have their first padded practice on Saturday; Love missed the team’s first four practices.
— “Excited to see him out at practice hopefully today.”
— The two sides have been close to finishing a deal over the last few days. Gutekunst credited the agents and Russ Ball for getting it across the finish line. “These things are not easy, they take time, very complicated.”
— “This is the guy who is going to lead us into the future and we’re really excited about it.”
— On getting the deal done: “It’s good to get it behind us so we can concentrate on football now.”
— Gutekunst admitted there will be challenges with the salary cap when building around a big contract at quarterback, but he’s used to the challenge. Emphasized that drafting well will be key. Stability at quarterback is way more important than cap flexibility.
— Gutekunst said the final numbers on Love’s contract came in where he expected.
— Impact on the cap won’t be immediate. “There will be some challenges down the road.” Gutekunst believes the Packers are in good cap shape in the short term.
LIVE: GM Brian Gutekunst meets with the media. 🎙️@BellinHealth | #PackersCamp https://t.co/w7jiBstzUj
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) July 27, 2024