QB Love: ‘No hiding’ from pressure of new deal

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Jordan Love doesn’t need to be reminded that he’s now one of the highest-paid players in the NFL to know there’s a certain level of pressure that comes with it.

And one day after he signed a four-year, $220 million contract extension with the Green Bay Packers that included a $75 million signing bonus, Love said he’s ready for it.

The reason?

He has always faced pressure.

“Being a first-round pick, there’s pressure,” Love said Saturday following his first practice of training camp. “Becoming the starter, there’s pressure, but there’s always pressure. I think that’s, you know, part of the job that we sign up for. You’ve got to find ways to deal with that pressure and handle it as best you can to be the best player you can be every day.

“But there’s always pressure. There’s no hiding that. … I’ve been in some great pressure situations, so I think there’s always going to be that. But just finding a way to navigate through this and handle it best I can.”

Love’s deal puts him atop the NFL pay scale, tied with Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow with deals that average $55 million a year.

The Packers rewarded Love even though he has only one full season as a starting quarterback to his credit. The 2020 first-round pick spent three years as Aaron Rodgers’ backup. After an up-and-down start to last season, Love finished on a tear with 18 touchdowns and just one interception over the final eight games to lead the Packers to the playoffs. He’s the biggest reason the Packers are considered one of the NFC’s Super Bowl contenders.

“Seeing how he handled that this past year becoming the guy, handling that pressure, coming out the other side of it, just gave us a lot of confidence that this is the guy that’s going to lead us into the future,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said. “I’m really excited about that.”

He did it while trying to follow in the footsteps of Rodgers, a four-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl champion, which is another reason LaFleur believes Love can handle the gravity of this contract and being the face of the franchise.

“I think he’ll embrace that,” LaFleur said. “I don’t think you’ll see a difference in the person. And I don’t think we would do something like that if we felt that way.”

Besides, LaFleur said he’s got something up his sleeve if he ever senses Love gets off track.

“I always joked [with] him, if he ever changes I’m going to call his mom,” LaFleur said. “But he’s been raised the right way, I think he’s about the right stuff, and his teammates really certainly respect him. They respect the man, they respect the work he puts in. They were fired up today to have him back in the fold.”

Reflecting on how he got to this point, Love called the start of his NFL career “humbling.”

“I think just so far in my career, there’s been so many question marks,” Love said. “Getting drafted here. Being behind Aaron. Not knowing what that whole situation would be like. Where I would be? When I would get my opportunity? It’s been humbling, you know?”

Love missed the first four practices of training camp as a hold-in while his agents negotiated his deal. While he participated in meetings and film sessions, even throwing off to the side after practice, he needed a minute to find his bearings in Saturday’s practice. After starting 1-for-8 with an interception, he got hot and completed 10 of his next 12 passes, including a 47-yard deep ball to Christian Watson to finish 11-for-20 on the day.

“To be able to hit him in stride and him make that play, it felt good to connect on that first day back, for sure,” Love said.