The biggest question remaining for the Green Bay Packers this offseason is whether or not a contract extension will get done with quarterback Jordan Love, and general manager Brian Gutekunst gave an update on that front, saying that he would like to get a deal done by training camp.

“We're in those conversations right now. … Both parties want to get a contract extension done,” Brian Gutekunst said, according to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team.

It is not a huge surprise to see that the Packers and Love have mutual interest in getting an extension done before training camp. Love played great down the stretch last season to get the Packers into the playoffs. After many seasons of sitting behind Aaron Rodgers, Love provided a lot of optimism that the Packers once again have transitioned to another franchise quarterback. It is not a lock that Love is that for the long term, but he provided a lot of reasons for hope.

The Packers exceeded expectations for many last year, reaching the divisional round of the playoffs and almost beating the San Francisco 49ers in that game. Love's games on Thanksgiving against the Detroit Lions, and the wild card performance against the Dallas Cowboys were two standout performances.

Should the Packers extend Jordan Love?

There are some questioning whether or not the Packers should extend Jordan Love. Early in the season, there was a lot of skepticism regarding whether or not he is the answer at the quarterback position, and most would have said no at that point in time. However, he closed out the season great, ending up with 4,149 passing yards with 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, according to Pro Football Reference. That is a lot better of a statistical season than many would think Love had when taking into account the perception surrounding him early in the 2023 season

Not to mention, Love stood out from a processing standpoint when it came to identifying what the defense was doing before and after the snap, and he displayed an ability to make the throws after doing that. An example was his touchdown throw to Dontayvion Wicks in the wild card game against the Cowboys.

Despite the relatively small sample size, there is a lot to like from Love's 2024 season. That sample size might be a benefit to the Packers in negotiations, as it could result in Love signing for less than other top quarterbacks in the league. There is just less of a body of work.

Still, it is clear that Gutekunst and the Packers believe in Love as their franchise quarterback, which gives Love leverage in negotiations, along with him being young and entering just his age 26 season.

There is inherently more risk for the Packers in extending Love due to him not being as proven as other top quarterbacks, but it seems inevitable that there will be a long-term deal worked out at some point this summer before the team reports for training camp.