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Latest On Packers’ Jordan Love

June 18th, 2024 at 9:57pm CST by Adam La Rose

With the Trevor Lawrence deal in place, the likes of Dak Prescott, Tua Tagovailoa and Jordan Love have another benchmark to use in their own negotiations. The latter could be in line to benefit from Jacksonville’s investment despite his limited resume.

The Jaguars inked Lawrence to a five-year, $275MM extension; that term and overall value matches Joe Burrow‘s market-topping deal signed last offseason. Lawrence has had an up-and-down tenure through three years in the league, and the fact he was nevertheless able to land a massive commitment bodes well for ascending signal-callers like Love. After one year as the Packers’ starter, he is in line for a long-term deal of his own.

Both team and player in Love’s case are hoping to work out an agreement before training camp opens next month. One year remains on the band-aid deal the 2020 first-rounder signed last offseason to replace his fifth-year option. He is due $11MM in 2024, but a new accord will be far more lucrative. During an appearance on ESPN Milwaukee Radio, Adam Schefter said he does not anticipate Love will take a deal worth less than Lawrence’s.

Six quarterbacks currently average more than $50MM on their contracts, and indications from last month pointed to Love joining that group despite his inexperience and underwhelming production to start the 2023 season. Improvement in the second half of the campaign helped the 25-year-old lead Green Bay to the divisional round of the postseason and demonstrate an ability to succeed with the team’s young (and cost-controlled) group of pass-catchers. One of the NFL’s most lucrative contracts could soon be coming his way as a result.

Lawrence’s Jags extension includes $200MM in total guarantees and $142MM locked in at signing. The commitments (in terms of up front compensation) go deep into the pact, and it could represent a blueprint for similar agreements this summer. Green Bay has made it clear Love is positioned to serve as the team’s next franchise passer like Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers before him, but the surging QB market could complicate negotiations if the Packers are not willing to surpass the $55MM AAV mark.

Of course, extensions for the likes of Prescott and Tagovailoa could provide further clarity on where the market is headed. In any event, Love’s bargaining power has been strengthened by the Lawrence deal, and it will be interesting to see if he tries to reach the top of the quarterback pecking order as talks with the Packers continue.

OL David Bakhtiari Aiming To Play Another Couple Of Years

June 18th, 2024 at 5:51pm CST by Ben Levine

Despite being limited to only 13 games over the past three seasons, David Bakhtiari believes he can still play a few more years. During an appearance on The Adam Schefter Podcast, Bakhtiari said he was “really happy” with his recovery from November knee surgery and can still contribute in 2024.

[RELATED: OL David Bakhtiari Receives Positive Health Update]

“A lot of other people wanted me to just kind of grit through it, but no one experiences what you truly experience,” Bakhtiari said (via ESPN). “Look, I’ve been gritting through it for three years. I’m in constant pain. I’m so happy now to be on the other side of it and get the actual surgery that I needed because my knee was not in a good place.”

Since tearing his ACL late in the 2020 campaign, the offensive lineman has undergone five knee surgeries. His most-recent operation followed a one-game outing with the Packers in 2023. Despite his lack of availability over the past few years, the free agent said he’s received interest from teams this offseason. The 32-year-old said he still has to overcome a handful of hurdles before he can return to the field, and he estimated that he could sign with a team at some point between the start of training camp and the start of the regular season.

“My goal right now is just to make sure that I not only fully recover but I can withstand and play the game that I want to play but also play and be there for a team no matter what,” Bakhtiari said. “I’m not a reliever guy, I am your cornerstone guy. Someone that’s not only going to play in September but in December and into February and obviously hopefully for another couple of years.”

The long-time Packers lineman was cut by the organization back in March. The former fourth-round pick got into 131 games across his 11 seasons with the organization, earning five-straight All-Pro nods. Unfortunately, his last three-plus seasons have been defined by his absences. His 2020 campaign ended early thanks to that aforementioned ACL tear, and he returned for only one game in 2021. He managed to play in 11 games during his comeback season in 2022, but he only got into one game this past year before undergoing season-ending knee surgery.

Considering his connection to Green Bay and former QB Aaron Rodgers, both the Packers and Jets have been mentioned as potential suitors. However, Bakhtiari told Schefter that he isn’t anticipating joining either squad. The lineman specifically pointed to the Jets’ offseason acquisitions of veterans Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses and first-round rookie Olu Fashanu.

Packers Could Start Two Rookies On Defense

June 16th, 2024 at 6:34pm CST by Ely Allen

The Packers used their first-round pick this year on an offensive tackle, and Arizona’s Jordan Morgan is expected to earn a starting role at left tackle over the incumbent Rasheed Walker, but the team’s next two draft picks could be on their way to starting roles, as well, according to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky.

Green Bay had two second-round picks in this year’s draft, and they used both of them on SEC defenders. At 45th overall, the Packers took Texas A&M linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, then 13 picks later, they took Georgia safety Javon Bullard at No. 58.

Cooper was the first player taken at his position in this year’s draft, aligning with most pre-draft rankings. Thanks to the unprecedented run of offensive players to open the event, Cooper ended up being the only linebacker taken in the first two rounds. Bullard was the second safety off the board, also following many pre-draft rankings.

Neither player was necessarily viewed as a surefire candidate to start as a rookie. Cooper has the quickness and explosiveness to run and cover, but his occasional lack of discipline had some thinking development was necessary before he could become a three-down linebacker. Bullard has the versatility to play all over the field with a skillset that could make him a perfect fit in a hybrid safety/nickel role, but his lack of ideal size and length was viewed as a potential limiter to his natural abilities and instincts at the next level.

In new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley‘s new scheme, though, both players reportedly showed flashes in organized team activities. The team has made it clear that it’s not declaring any starters quite yet, but Cooper has been the leading man in the middle of the team’s 4-3 look on defense between Quay Walker and Isaiah McDuffie as the Packers look to replace the departed De’Vondre Campbell.

The team is also looking to replace both starting safeties after the departures of Jonathan Owens and Darnell Savage. Free agent signing Xavier McKinney should fit into one of the two starting slots, but the second job appears to be up for competition. Bullard has a bit more of an uphill battle to win the job than Cooper does at linebacker, but through OTAs, he appears to be well in the mix.

The team isn’t afraid to start rookies either. Green Bay saw Carrington Valentine start 12 games at cornerback after being selected in the 7th round last year. If Cooper and Bullard continue to show positive signs of development throughout the summer, there’s a good chance the Packers could have at least three rookie starters to open the 2024 NFL season.

Packers To Continue Three-Way Kicking Competition In Training Camp?

June 16th, 2024 at 10:52am CST by Rory Parks

Following kicker Anders Carlson‘s struggles down the stretch of the 2023 regular season and into the playoffs, the Packers signed Jack Podlesny to a reserve/futures deal in January and subsequently added veteran Greg Joseph in March. The trio remained on the roster throughout the offseason and engaged in what ESPN’s Rob Demovsky called an “intense three-way competition” this spring.

Per Demovsky, that competition could well continue into training camp, and it is a reflection of how poorly Carlson’s rookie season ended. A sixth-round draft choice last April, Carlson was essentially handed the placekicking job, as Green Bay did not even roster another kicker during last summer’s training camp. Although his season started out well enough, Carlson misfired on 10 kicks (field goals and PATs) over the final 12 games of the campaign, including the playoffs. That was capped by a devastating miss on a 41-yard field goal attempt in a divisional round matchup with the 49ers, which would have given the Packers a seven-point lead with a little over six minutes to play. Green Bay ultimately lost the game by a 24-21 score.

Carlson’s 87.2% success rate on PATs was the worst mark among qualified players in the 2023 regular season, and his 81.8% FG perecentage was a bottom-10 showing. That said, team brass clearly thinks highly of him, and he did perform well this offseason. Said head coach Matt LaFleur, “I think Anders had a pretty solid spring. I think all these guys have kind of had their moments, but I think particularly of late, he’s done a really nice job.”

Joseph, meanwhile, finished with an even lower FG success rate in 2023, converting at an 80.0% clip (though he did sink 94.7% of his extra point tries). He at least offers a fair amount of experience, having served as the Vikings’ primary kicker over each of the past three seasons and having also seen action with the Browns and Titans. His 82.6% career conversion rate on field goal attempts is uninspiring, and as Demovsky notes, the South Africa native has not kicked particularly well at Lambeau Field, connecting on just three of his seven career attempts at Lombardi Avenue. Nonetheless, he said he chose to sign with the Packers because he “liked the opportunity,” meaning that he believes he has a real chance to unseat Carlson.

The dark horse candidate, Podlesny, was signed by Minnesota as an undrafted free agent last year and actually engaged in a brief training camp battle with Joseph for the Vikes’ kicking job, a battle that Joseph obviously won. Podlesny signed with the Packers in the midst of his search for non-football jobs, and like Carlson, he also ended offseason work on a high note.

Podlesny acknowledged that he does not know what the Packers are planning for training camp with respect to their kicking situation, and LaFleur is playing it close to the vest as well.

“I think that’s to be determined, quite honestly,” LaFleur said at the end of last week’s minicamp. “We’ll see how it all plays out, and ultimately that’s going to be [GM Brian Gutekunst‘s] decision. But that’s something that we’ve certainly talked about.”

Latest On Extension Talks Between Packers, Jordan Love

June 14th, 2024 at 10:36pm CST by Adam La Rose

Trevor Lawrence became the latest quarterback in the $50MM-per-year club by agreeing to his monster Jaguars extension. Jordan Love may be the next ascending signal-caller to join him in that regard.

The latter is well past the 12-month mark since his bridge deal was signed last offseason. That one-year extension took the place of his fifth-year option as Love took over for Green Bay on a full-time basis. The 2020 first-rounder helped guide the Packers to the divisional round of the playoffs, and a lucrative long-term investment is now the expected outcome of negotiations this offseason.

General manager Brian Gutekunst recently confirmed the team’s preference to work out a deal before training camp opens next month. It is clear that feeling is mutual based on Love’s remarks on the subject. When asked about his looming deal, the 25-year-old said he is optimistic an agreement will be reached in time for camp. He added he expects contract talks to pick up in the coming days with minicamp having taken place (h/t ESPN’s Rob Demovsky).

Lawrence’s deal matches Joe Burrow‘s in terms of average annual value ($55MM). Love has been named as another candidate to approach that figure, but at a minimum he should manage to become the seventh quarterback to reach the $50MM plateau. The Utah State product had only one start to his name before the 2023 campaign, one in which he endured expected growing pains. The close of the regular season and the playoffs eliminated doubt on the team’s part that a mega-pact would be worthwhile, though.

Love finished second in the NFL in touchdown passes (32) and seventh in yards (4,159) last season, providing reason to believe he can guide a young Packers offense to similar success moving forward. He is due $11MM for 2024 as things stand, but that will change dramatically if a deal is worked out in short order. Given the public stances of both team and player in this case, it would not come as a surprise if Love opened training camp with a new deal in hand.

Packers Sign Round 1 OL Jordan Morgan, Finalize Draft Class

June 13th, 2024 at 3:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

After David Bakhtiari‘s knee trouble led to another near-full-season absence, the Packers moved on via release and soon deviated from a defense-based strategy atop the draft. Jordan Morgan is now in place as an heir apparent.

The Packers, who had chosen one offensive player in the first round from 2012-23 (Jordan Love), went with Morgan at No. 25 this year. The team now has a deal in place with the former Arizona tackle, who will be tied to fully guaranteed money through 2027. Assuming Morgan remains on Green Bay’s roster come 2027, Green Bay will eventually have a fifth-year option decision to make.

Bakhtiari’s ACL tear during a New Year’s Eve 2020 practice created considerable trouble for the Packers, who spent most of the next three seasons without their All-Pro left tackle. Morgan also has an ACL tear in his recent past, suffering the injury in November 2022. The Pac-12 standout bounced back this past season, solidifying his value as a first-round-caliber prospect. The Commanders had attempted to trade back into Round 1 for Morgan, but the Packers pounced with their top pick.

Morgan shook off the major injury to become a first-round pick despite this draft oozing tackle options for teams. A three-year starter at Arizona, Morgan started 37 games at left tackle. His post-ACL journey included a first-team All-Pac-12 nod last season. Morgan played in parts of five seasons with the Wildcats, working almost exclusively at left tackle.

Former seventh-round pick Rasheed Walker replaced Bakhtiari at left tackle last season, while Zach Tom worked at RT. Tom is currently rehabbing a torn pectoral muscle, but the young blocker is expected to return before training camp or at some point before the regular season. The Pack view Morgan as a left tackle, which would point Walker to an eventual swing role once the rookie is ready to take over. Walker and Tom are each signed for two more seasons. The Packers, who played 42 regular-season games without Bakhtiari since 2020, also added Andre Dillard as potential depth this offseason.

As the Packers head toward training camp, here is how their draft class breaks down:

Kenny Clark, Packers Have Discussed Extension

June 11th, 2024 at 8:36pm CST by Ben Levine

Kenny Clark is set to hit free agency following the 2024 campaign, and the Packers have naturally engaged in conversations with one of their defensive leader. The veteran defensive tackle told reporters today that there have been “ongoing” talks between the two sides (via Ashley Washburn of TMJ4 News in Milwaukee).

The former first-round pick inked a four-year, $70MM deal in 2020 that’s set to expire at the end of the season. Clark has earned two of his three career Pro Bowl appearances while playing on that extension, with the defensive tackle collecting 15.5 sacks while only missing one game over that three-year span.

Pro Football Focus was generally higher on the player earlier in his career, although they’ve still ranked him as an above-average interior defender in recent years. After finishing 2023 with career-highs in sacks (7.5), tackles for loss (nine), and QB hits (16), he was graded 32nd among 130 qualifying interior defenders.

Clark ranks top-10 in Packers history in TFLs and QB hits, and he’s top-20 in sacks and forced fumbles. Considering his track record with the organization, the 28-year-old is focused on finishing his career in Green Bay.

“Oh yeah, 100 percent,” Clark said (h/t CBS Sports’ Garrett Podell). “I love it here. I love my teammates. I love the organization. Hopefully everything will work out.”

When Clark inked his extension in 2020, he was the 12th-highest paid defensive player in the NFL. Now, his AAV is ranked only 17th at his own position. If Clark wants to be paid as a top-10 interior defender, he’ll be eyeing an average annual salary of $22.5MM. OverTheCap is currently projecting that the DT franchise tag will be valued at $22.1MM next offseason.

Clark will be 29 at the end of his contract, making him relatively young for a second-time free agent. That might help garner him the extra years and the extra money on his next pact. If Clark gets his way, that next contract will come from Green Bay.

Commanders, Lions, Packers, Ravens Interested In K Jake Bates

June 11th, 2024 at 1:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

As expected, Jake Bates‘ UFL season has generated NFL interest. A number of teams are in on the recent spring/summer league specialist, whose previous NFL path did not include any game action.

The Michigan Panthers kicker has received interest from the Commanders, Lions, Packers and Ravens, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. All four teams have requested meetings with Bates, per Wilson, and ESPN.com’s John Keim notes the Commanders will be the first team to host the young specialist. That meeting is set for today.

Washington’s kicker need formed recently, after the team released offseason pickup Brandon McManus after a lawsuit alleging sexual assault emerged. The Commanders have already signed kicker Ramiz Ahmed, but the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala notes the team is looking to hold a competition between the recent signee and another option. The team also auditioned Andre Szmyt on Tuesday, per Jhabvala. Szmyt kicked for the UFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks this season.

With the UFL’s regular season ending, NFL teams are free to hold workouts. UFLers can be added next week, after the league’s weekend championship game. Considering the success the Cowboys have enjoyed with USFL players in recent years — including All-Pro kicker Brandon Aubrey, a summer 2023 addition — several of the new UFL’s top players will land opportunities to attend NFL training camps. Bates will almost definitely be one.

Bates, whom the Texans cut after barely a week during training camp last year, caught attention for making multiple 60-plus-yard field goals early this season. This included a 64-yarder. The long-range makes placed the Michigan kicker back on the NFL radar, and his second chance figures to feature a more thorough look. That said, Bates proved shakier down the stretch of the UFL season. He missed field goals five field goals over the Panthers’ final four games; that followed a two-miss performance in an April Michigan-Memphis matchup. Overall, Bates went 21-for-28 on field goals this season.

The Lions were connected to the in-state UFL team’s kicker early during the season, and the team used multiple kickers (Riley Patterson, Michael Badgley) in 2023. Detroit re-signed Badgley this offseason and added UDFA James Turner. But the team has been looking into adding another piece here, and Bates’ leg strength certainly caught attention.

Anders Carlson remains the frontrunner to kick for the Packers, but special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia mentioned a potential spring league addition (via The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman) before training camp. Green Bay’s roster already houses two other kickers — Greg Joseph, Jack Podlesny — so a Bates addition would certainly be interesting from a roster-allocation standpoint ahead of training camp. Carlson went 27-for-33 last year but missed four extra points and then missed a kick in the Packers’ narrow divisional-round loss to the 49ers.

It would obviously surprise if Bates ended up in Baltimore, given that the Ravens employ arguably the best to ever do it. Justin Tucker is going into his 13th NFL season. Bates, 24, stands to land somewhere soon. His Houston work last summer does not make it a lock he will be one of the 32 kickers in Week 1, but the UFL work will give him a shot.

Packers, Jordan Love Hoping To Complete Extension Before Training Camp

June 4th, 2024 at 6:36pm CST by Ben Levine

Jordan Love‘s first season as a starter couldn’t have gone much better, but the former first-round pick only has a year remaining on his contract. Predictably, both Love and the Packers are interested in a long-term arrangement, and it sounds like both sides are motivated to complete a deal sooner than later.

[RELATED: Packers Begin Jordan Love Extension Talks]

During an appearance on 97.3 The Game in Milwaukee, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst acknowledged that the two sides are aiming for speedy negotiations.

“We’re in those conversations right now,” Gutekunst said. “I think the nice part about this is none of these things are easy or fast, but both parties want the same thing. We’d like to get this thing done before training camp, for sure, and both parties want to get a contract extension done. I think that stability at that position really allows you to have some security with the way we build our team. We’re looking forward to getting that done, but it never goes fast.”

The Packers and Love have just under two months to complete a deal before their first scheduled training camp practice on July 22. Of course, there’s no technical deadline and no real urgency to get a deal done that soon. On the flip side, even if training camp is an artificial deadline, the two sides surely don’t want the impending free agent QB to enter the regular season with lame-duck status.

While Love doesn’t have an extended track record, his 2023 campaign may be enough to rocket him towards the top of the QB market. We heard last month that Love’s next contract could end up “in [Joe] Burrow territory,” which comes in at a league-leading $55MM average annual value. Four quarterbacks reset the market last offseason (Burrow, Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts), and Jared Goff recently joined them in the $50MM AAV club. Once the likes of Trevor Lawrence, Tua Tagovailoa, and Dak Prescott ink their next deals, Love’s expected contract will look a bit more natural.

Last offseason, the Packers ripped up Love’s fifth-year option and replaced it with a one-year contract that offers a higher ceiling (and lower floor). If the QB continues his play from 2023, that arrangement should work out in his favor. Love finished his first season as a starter with 32 touchdowns vs. 11 interceptions, and he helped guide the Packers to their first playoff win since 2020.

Packers Sign Second-Round S Javon Bullard

June 3rd, 2024 at 6:59pm CST by Ely Allen

The Packers continued to make progress on signing their rookie class today. They’ve now narrowed their list of unsigned draft picks to one after announcing that second-round safety Javon Bullard has inked his rookie deal.

Playing his high school football at Baldwin HS (GA), Bullard chose to stay relatively close to home for college, committing to Georgia about two hours up the road. As a three-star recruit, Bullard played more of a reserve/special teams role as a true freshman. As a sophomore, Bullard earned a starting spot on the Bulldogs defense before a DUI arrest would lead to a short suspension. He would return to help lead the team to its second consecutive national title, earning Defensive MVP honors in the 2022 season finale after recording two interceptions and a fumble recovery before exiting the game with injury.

While he didn’t improve his resume too much in his junior season, Bullard showed enough in his two years as a starter at Georgia to forego his senior year of eligibility and declare early for the 2024 NFL Draft. Ranking in the top five of most prospect lists, Bullard was the second safety off the board in the draft, following Minnesota safety Tyler Nubin, who was drafted by the Giants 11 picks earlier.

In Green Bay, the Packers will likely ask Bullard to start next to free agent addition Xavier McKinney as they attempt to fill the roles left vacant by the departures of both starters, Darnell Savage and Jonathan Owens, from last year. If either Bullard or McKinney don’t quite fit in a starting role, the Packers bolstered their depth at the position by drafting two other safeties in the fourth (Evan Williams) and fifth round (Kitan Oladapo).

With Bullard under contract, first-round offensive tackle Jordan Morgan out of Arizona remains the only remaining draft pick to sign. Here’s a look at the rest of the class:

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