Getty Jordan Love #10 of the Green Bay Packers works out during training camp at Ray Nitschke Field on August 17, 2020 in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin.
The hype continues to build for Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love with a career-changing season potentially on the horizon in 2021.
Steve Calhoun, who has trained Love as his personal quarterback coach since he was in the eighth grade, sat down with WISN Channel 12 Milwaukee recently and hyped up the 2020 first-round draft pick as someone he believes could become a “perennial Pro Bowler” for the Packers once given his opportunity to shine.
“I think he has potential to be a perennial Pro Bowler,” Calhoun told WISN 12’s Stephen Watson when asked about Love’s ceiling. “He has the unbelievable skill set, he has the ability to escape the pocket and extend plays. And I mean, arm strength, (he) can make different throws — (the reasons) why you would pick a quarterback in the first round. Green Bay saw it and I’ve seen it for eight years. I think he has the chance to be a Pro Bowler like all the other quarterbacks in Green Bay over the years.”
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Calhoun Speaks Positively of Rodgers & Love
For all the drama the Packers’ decision to draft a new quarterback has caused over the past year, all signs from anyone involved suggest Rodgers had a strong, mentoring relationship with Love in their first NFL season together in Green Bay.
Packers running back Aaron Jones said earlier in May that Rodgers worked “every day, all day” with Love during his rookie season, while Rodgers himself called Love a “great kid” who is “a lot of fun to work with” last week during his SportsCenter appearance.
“I don’t think Aaron feels threatened by a rookie quarterback, especially with everything that Aaron has accomplished,” Calhoun said when asked about their relationship. “Some of the conversations that I did have with Jordan, he was like, ‘Aaron really helped me out any time I struggled. He was always open when I had questions. He would answer anything that I needed an answer.’ So I think they had a great relationship.”
Key Dates Nearing for Rodgers & Packers
The Packers are now more than a week into voluntary organized team activities (OTAs) for the 2021 offseason and still waiting to see whether veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers will report when the mandated practices begin on June 8. Neither the organization nor its reigning NFL MVP has said much in the month since ESPN insider Adam Schefter’s initial report brought their rift into the public light, but there are some key dates approaching quickly that could do some speaking for them.
The first important date will come this week when June 1 passes and NFL teams are allowed to start splitting the dead-cap hits of cutting/trading a player over two seasons instead of just one. For the Packers’ purposes, it means the cost of moving on from Rodgers will be reduced from $38.356 million to about $21.152 million — a much more manageable number if a peaceful resolution is not reached between them.
If nothing happens immediately — and there is nothing to suggest anything will — the next dates to mark on the calendar will be June 8 and July 27. The nearer of the two marks the start of the Packers’ three-day mandatory minicamp, while the latter is the NFL’s unified start date for 2021 training camp. Rodgers not reporting for either of those dates would suggest grim things for his future in Green Bay.