Jordan Love has been on quite the rollercoaster ride over the past few years.
It’s no secret that Aaron Rodgers was absolutely furious when the Packers shockingly selected Love in the first-round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
In fairness, Rodgers had a right to be upset. After all, Green Bay was in full win-now mode and Rodgers wanted the team to use the valuable pick on a player who could help the Packers win the Super Bowl immediately.
For better or worse, we all know how everything has shaken out since.
There was a time not too long ago when many wondered if Love would ever get a true chance to prove himself. But he certainly had that opportunity last season and took full advantage of it.
Looking ahead, Love and the Packers are expected to hammer out a lucrative, long-term extension that will keep Love in Green Bay for the foreseeable future.
As for the team entering the coming season, hopes are sky-high, especially coming off a surprising 2023 season where Love and the Packers nearly upset the eventual NFC champion San Francisco 49ers.
Interestingly, Love recently spoke about Green Bay’s unique offensive attack and the challenges they pose for defenses.
“I think you don’t have to have a #1 receiver,” Love said. “I think it works out well when you can spread the ball out and you got different guys making different plays and you can put ’em in different areas.
“I think it puts a lot more stress on the defense and the calls that they can get in, so I think in the long run it helps us not having a #1 guy, a true #1 guy, but I think all those guys can step up and be the one any given day.”
Love’s comments come in the wake of his first season as a starter, where he impressively distributed the ball to several receivers – with six in particular recording 30+ receptions for 300+ receiving yards.
Despite not adding a big-name veteran receiver this offseason, Love will enter the season with his largely young receiving core being a year older and wiser and certainly better for it.
Love and the Packers will rely heavily on young talents like Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, and Christian Watson.
These four receivers, all aged 25 or younger, remain at the top of Green Bay’s depth chart as they head into the 2024 season.
Additionally, talented pass-catching tight ends Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft are both just 23.
“You can plug any of these guys at any position and they’ll go out there and make plays,” Love said of his offensive weapons.
“I think a little of that was proven last year. We had different guys injured throughout the season and guys had to move around a little bit, play some different spots that they might not have been used to, so I definitely think that is the case.
“But you look at these guys, each person has their own skill set and what they do great. That’s the key, is trying to find that and put them in the best position to be successful.”
While Love certainly has to improve his passing accuracy, he flashed enough during the 2023 season to convince head coach Matt LaFleur and company that he can be their franchise quarterback going forward.
For the season, Love passed for 4,159 yards, 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He also added 247 yards on the ground to go along with four rushing scores.
Most impressively, Love played his best football when the lights were brightest.
He was instrumental in Green Bay’s shocking 48-32 road upset over the Dallas Cowboys. Then followed that up with a strong performance against the loaded 49ers out in San Francisco.
We’ll see how he builds off of the strong performances as we head into the new season…
What are your thoughts on Love as a quarterback? … Have you seen enough to confidently state that he’s a true franchise quarterback who’s capable of winning Super Bowls?
How about his comments regarding not needing a #1 wide receiver???
Can you see the talented Packers receiving core causing major problems for teams across the league? … Or are they still too young?
Where do you rank Green Bay among the top contenders in the NFC? … Can you see them making a legitimate Super Bowl run this season???