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Packers 2020 Key Question: Will Aaron Rodgers Embrace The 2020 Rookie Class?
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It’s probably not a stretch to say that the most controversial move of the 2020 NFL Draft came from the Green Bay Packers when they selected Jordan Love with the 26th overall pick. The move was a head-scratcher for multiple reasons, with the biggest one being that they already have Aaron Rodgers, who’s under contract through the 2023 season.
As of Wednesday though, Rodgers is no longer the only quarterback on the roster with a deal that runs until 2023. The Packers have announced that Love has signed his rookie contract, and apparently, the team showed Love a lot of love when they made the deal.
According to NFL.com, Love was given a contract that no other draft pick in his slot has ever been given. The rookie’s four-year deal with the Packers is worth $12.38 million, and here’s the rare part: All of that money is fully guaranteed, making Love the first player ever to be selected 25th or lower to receive a fully guaranteed deal.
In 2019, the first 24 players in the draft got all of their money guaranteed, but the players selected 25th and below did not. Love’s new deal with Green Bay also includes a $6.6 million signing bonus.
The fact that the Packers were willing to give Love so much guaranteed money probably shouldn’t come as a big surprise, and that’s because they went out of their way to get him. The shocking pick only happened after the Packers made a trade that allowed them to move up four spots in the first round. To grab Love, the Packers traded away their fourth-round pick (136th overall) to the Dolphins so that they could move up from 30th overall to No. 26.
It will be interesting to see how Rodgers reacts to news of Love’s deal. Although Rodgers seems to be on good terms with Love, there’s a good chance that he’s upset with the front office for the way they handled the draft — besides selecting Love, they didn’t take a single wide receiver — and that’s something that could strain the relationship Rodgers has with both general manager Brian Gutekunst and coach Matt LaFleur.
With Love now in the fold, Rodgers seems to realize that he might not be finishing his career in Green Bay.
“I think the initial reaction [to the Packers selecting Love] was surprise,” Rodgers said back in May. “Not gonna say that I was thrilled by the pick, but I understand. The organization is not only thinking about the present but the future, and I respect that. I understand their focus and their mindset.”
As for Love, he becomes the sixth first-round pick to sign a contract this year, joining Tua Tagovailoa (Dolphins), Derrick Brown (Jaguars), Javon Kinlaw (49ers), Austin Jackson (Dolphins) and Brandon Aiyuk (49ers).
