Unless Green Bay’s goal in trading up for quarterback Jordan Love two years ago was to light a fire under the ass of Aaron Rodgers, the Packers wasted their picks (a first-rounder and a fourth-rounder) on Love.
With Rodgers reportedly signing a four-year, $200 million contract to stay in Green Bay, Love — who has spent two years on the bench behind Rodgers — likely will spend the next two there, too. Unless the Packers trade him.
That would be the face-saving option for the Packers, if they’re indeed making a full-blown, four-year commitment to Rodgers. And it would give them a way to get something for everything they invested in Love.
One potential destination would be the Broncos, given the presence of former Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett as the new coach there. Hackett knows Love well. Love knows the offense. Put simply, Hackett’s interest, or not, in Love could be the ultimately litmus test as to whether, after two years of watching, he’s ready to play.
The contract is affordable. Love is due to make $1.735 million in 2022 and $2.298 million in 2023. It’s a bargain. Ultimately, it comes down to what the Packers would want for what has otherwise become a wasted first-round pick.