As Jordan Love wrapped up his second full season as the Green Bay Packers’ starting quarterback, head coach Matt LaFleur identified leadership development as a critical area for growth during the offseason.
“I think the next step is just to continue to evolve as a vocal leader,” LaFleur said on Tuesday.
Love has shown significant progress in his development, however he still struggles with his accuracy and ability to perform in big games.
According to LaFleur, you can add leadership to the list of things he needs to improve on going forward.
Much of Love’s early success has been attributed to quarterbacks coach Tom Clements.
However, Love now faces the challenge of navigating his first season as a starter without Clements, who announced his retirement on Tuesday.
Clements, a longtime Packers assistant, holds a storied legacy, having mentored Hall of Fame quarterbacks Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers during his tenure in Green Bay.
Despite some setbacks this season, LaFleur expressed confidence in Love’s trajectory, describing him as an “ascending player.”
The head coach emphasized the importance of Love stepping into a more vocal leadership role, noting that the team already holds him in high regard.
“I think that just kind of comes with the position naturally,” LaFleur said. “I think he’s taken steps to get there, but I think he can really demand a lot because the locker room respects him.
“And they respect him not only as a person but by the work he puts in. He’s a grinder. He’s one of the guys; I think that’s one of his best qualities is he is one of the guys.
“They all respect him, but I think, when things aren’t quite right, I think he can voice that as well. When guys aren’t quite doing what they’re supposed to be doing, and he’s one of the guys to talk to [them] about that.
“I just think it means more when it comes from your quarterback than it does from me or one of our other coaches.”
Love delivered a strong performance in 2023, amassing 4,159 passing yards, 32 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions, leading the Packers to the divisional round before falling to the San Francisco 49ers.
However, this season he missed two early games and finished the year with 3,389 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.
His campaign ended on a very sour note, with three interceptions in a wild-card loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Now entering the offseason, Love’s focus will be on sharpening his skills and embracing the role of a more vocal leader to guide the Packers forward.
While Love is clearly talented and has sky-high potential, do Green Bay fans have reason to worry that he may not be an elite franchise quarterback after all???
