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The Green Bay Packers feel they have a franchise quarterback in Jordan Love. They clearly felt that could have been the case when they traded up from No. 30 to No. 26 to take Love out of Utah State in the 2020 NFL Draft. This was despite the fact that they still had future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers on the roster and arguably still in his prime, but that's just the Green Bay way, right?
They were willing to upset the apple cart — and the ayahuasca cup — to take the bet that Love would be their future quarterback. In fact, the Packers were so sure that Love was their guy when he fell to them that they didn't even talk to Rodgers about the plan, via, Rob Demovsky of ESPN in April of 2020.
“I haven't connected with Aaron yet, but he's obviously been through this and he's a pro. I think it's certainly, this is something that is a long-term decision. I think when you go through kind of the way things went tonight, you run the short-term and the long-term. The way the board fell, this was the best decision for the Packers,” General Manager Brain Gutekunst said after he drafted Love. “I think obviously Aaron's been around for a long time, and he knows what we're playing for right now, and that's what's most important right now.”
That decision worked out for the Packers in the short-term because Rodgers spite-won two more NFL MVP's and helped keep their Super Bowl window open. But when push came to shove and the Packers felt it was time to move on from the four-time MVP, they once again put their faith in Love.
Rodgers was traded to the New York Jets — which didn't work out, to say the last — and Love was given the reigns of the offense full-time heading into the 2023 season. He started slow and shaky, but by the end of that season he was one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. In fact, he had a stretch that saw him throw 18 touchdowns compared to just one interception, and the Packers made the playoffs as a Wild Card team.
That led to Love leading the Packers into AT&T Stadium to put a beating on the Dallas Cowboys, and the young and upstart Packers did their best to hang with the San Francisco 49ers — the ultimate NFC Champion — in the Divisional Round.
Love's performance in the second half of 2023 was enough for the Packers to once again put trust in him, and this time they put their money where their mouth is to the tune of four-years and $220 million with $160.3 million guaranteed.
That all led to this past 2024 season, when the Packers admittedly underwhelmed — losing their last three games including one to the Chicago Bears at home and then a stinker in the playoffs against the Philadelphia Eagles — and Love was up and down, to say the least. He was injured for much of the season and he did have a terrible streak of interceptions early on, but he finished the last seven games of the season without a pick.
Those good vibes were, of course, nullified by his three interceptions in the Wild Card round, but there was absolutely good to go along with the bad for Love in 2024.
So where does that leave Love and the Packers for now, and what do the Packers need Love to work on this offseason?
Packers need Jordan Love to work on his decision-making
Love finished the season with 3,389 yards, 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. That doesn't include the three picks he threw against Philly, which would make the total 14. Ironically, the 11 interceptions on the regular season were the same amount that Rodgers threw with the Jets this season. The difference is that 2024 was one of the worst seasons of Rodgers' career, while Love now has two seasons in a row with 11 picks.
As far as the postseason is concerned, he's thrown five in just three games.
If it wasn't for those interceptions, Love has everything else you look for in a star quarterback. He's athletic, smart and has one heck of an arm. Love can make throws that few quarterbacks not named Patrick Mahomes in the NFL can, but in the very same breath, he's thrown some of the worst interceptions you'll ever see from a starting quarterback.
That's dichotomy that made Brett Favre a beloved “gunslinger” for the Packers and for a moment Love was getting Favre comparisons. The difference with Favre, though, was that his interceptions were because he tried harder to make the big play perhaps more than any other quarterback in NFL history. Love does have some of that in him still, but he's thrown far to many interceptions directly to defenders without a receiver in sight, and most if not all of his interceptions have come because of bad decisions, rather than trying to make the hard, but right, play.
Everything else is there for Love, though, so if there's one thing the Packers need for him to work on this offseason, it's his ability to quickly read the field and make the right play. That comes with time, and it's worth remembering that he's entering just his third year as a starting quarterback. Still, the Packers paid him to be a superstar.
Now he needs to prove he can throw the football, consistently, like a superstar. That will all start and end with his preparation this offseason.
