Explaining why Kenny Clark landed a new deal before Jordan Love

On Sunday, the Packers signed a massive extension with one of their star players, just not the one most expected.

Good morning!

With the first practice of training camp kicking off Monday, the Green Bay Packers finalized a multiyear contract extension for one of their key players, just not the one many expected. That development sets the table for a team with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations in 2024.

Today's edition of The Leap examines what the new deal means for the Packers' yet-to-be-extended franchise quarterback as well as a 53-man roster projection to open camp.

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Why did Kenny Clark's new deal arrive before Jordan Love's new deal?

Jason B. Hirschhorn: For those who don't spend offseason Sunday evenings on the internet, the Packers signed Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark to a three-year, $64 million extension. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Tom Silverstein, the deal includes a $17 million signing bonus and does not wipe out the final non-voiding season of Clark's previous contract, allowing the team to spread the bonus money over four years. The agreement provides new Green Bay defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley with an extended runway with Clark who just completed his most productive campaign as a pass rusher (61 total pressures, per Pro Football Focus, 7.5 sacks).

Of course, few expected Clark to secure his payday before the Packers finalized a multiyear deal for Jordan Love. At present, the signal-caller begins training camp with just one season left on his contract. After breaking out in 2023, Love will almost assuredly not play this year without first signing a lucrative extension. So far, neither side has publicly expressed any concerns about the negotiations, and all signs point to the two sides coming to an agreement soon.

Still, Clark landing a new contract before Love seems odd given the latter's extension will require considerably greater resources. Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst strongly suggested that any deal for Clark would have to wait until the team knew the full parameters of Love's extension.

"It's all got to fit," Gutekunst said when asked about signing Clark to another contract during a recent interview with Cheesehead TV. "Certainly, Jordan's contract, getting that done and knowing how that is structured and how that sits over the next few years, will be important."

So, why did the order flip? The most straightforward (and therefore likeliest) answer concerns the parts of Love's eventual contract that the team has already settled. If the Packers already know the length of the deal and certain structural elements -- the approximate amount for the signing bonus as well as other bonuses and triggers that figure into total money guaranteed at signing -- then they possess enough information to fit Clark's extension around their current and future financial commitments. Put more simply, Green Bay understands how much cap space it can devote to Clark in any given year of his agreement.

At least one report reinforces that notion. On Sunday, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio wrote that "more money than structure" remains the "sticking point" in the Packers' negotiations with Love. If so, then the Packers probably have the approximate framework of the deal and just need to finalize the full official cost, a figure that rarely reflects the true value of a long-term contract in a given season.

Alternatively, the Packers could have intel suggesting that another star quarterback might imminently sign an extension for less than anticipated. Such a development could provide leverage to the front office in their talks with Love's reps and reduce certain costs in the contract. While possible -- few groups of people love to gossip more than those working in the NFL -- this sort of information more typically leaks when it favors the agent, not the team.

Regardless, securing Clark first doesn't mean the Packers feel concerned about getting Love to sign. The team and quarterback will reach an agreement in the near future regardless of the unexpected order.

Jason's pre-camp 53-man roster projection (July 21, 2024)

JBH: A few things to note: Player order does not necessarily reflect the order of the depth chart. Those projected to begin the regular season on the physically unable to perform list do not count against the 53-man roster limit. Unlike in past years, teams can now place up to two players on injured reserve before final cutdowns and bring them back to the active roster during the same season.

Offense - 24 players

QB:  Jordan Love, Sean Clifford
RB: Josh Jacobs, MarShawn Lloyd, AJ Dillon
WR: Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Bo Melton, Malik Heath
TE: Luke Musgrave, Tucker Kraft, Ben Sims, Tyler Davis
OL: Rasheed Walker, Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, Sean Rhyan, Zach Tom, Jordan Morgan, Jacob Monk, Travis Glover, Caleb Jones

Defense - 26 players

DT: Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt, T.J. Slaton, Karl Brooks, Colby Wooden
DE: Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, Lukas Van Ness, Kingsley Enagbare, Brenton Cox Jr.
ILB:  Quay Walker, Edgerrin Cooper, Isaiah McDuffie, Ty'Ron Hopper, Eric Wilson
CB: Jaire Alexander, Eric Stokes, Carrington Valentine, Keisean Nixon, Corey Ballentine, Kalen King
S: Xavier McKinney, Javon Bullard, Anthony Johnson Jr., Evan Williams, Kitan Oladapo

Specialists - 3 players

K: Anders Carlson
P: Daniel Whelan
LS: Peter Bowden

PUP: (none)
IR: (none)