The Detroit Lions are the class of the NFC North, having won it in consecutive years despite it being widely regarded as the best division in football. Teams like the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, and now even perhaps the Chicago Bears, and nipping at Detroit's heels, making this a critical time with a relatively new coaching staff entering the new year.
While the division came down to the end last year, the Lions still have the best roster and are well-positioned to notch a third straight title.
While the division came down to the end last year, the Lions still have the best roster and are well-positioned to notch a third straight title.
Jordan Love with a BRUTAL interception 😬pic.twitter.com/2t2bBG9cHI
— Footballism (@FootbaIIism) January 21, 2024
Packers QB Jordan Love Is Most Overpaid Player in NFC North
Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love, who is tied for the second-highest average annual salary of any signal-caller in the NFL at $55 million over four years, gives Detroit an inherent advantage due to his outsized contract.
He's a good, if not occasionally great, player, yet that kind of salary hamstrings a general manager's ability to build out the roster. While Love admittedly dealt with an early-season injury last year, he threw just 25 TDs to 11 interceptions, his second consecutive year with that many. His risky play style leaves him vulnerable to mistakes, as we've seen in the Packers' playoff losses during his tenure.
Love ranked 19th out of 75 qualified quarterbacks at Pro Football Focus in 2024. That's solid, but it's not an appropriate ranking for someone being paid like a top-five guy at the position. Unless he elevates his game in a big way, which is possible after the organization drafted Texas wideout Matthew Golden in the first round, he'll inherently be overpaid. In order to deliver on his salary, Love needs to become a player near the tier of quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, or Joe Burrow.
Few believe that it'll happen. As more quarterbacks get paid, the contract won't look quite as bad. It's the nature of the business to pay that position, yet it's still a reality that the Packers would be better off paying Love considerably less.
Even after losing offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, the Lions' offense is flatly better than the Packers. Jared Goff is a better quarterback, being paid slightly less than Love, though he's delivered MVP-caliber play at the price. Love hasn't done that, and he'll remain the most overpaid player in the division until he proves otherwise.