Getty Head coach Matt LaFleur of the Green Bay Packers runs off the field after defeating the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on December 19, 2021 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
It has been a short and tumultuous road for quarterback Jordan Love through his first two years in the NFL, and at least one analyst thinks it’s already time for the Green Bay Packers to call it quits on the entire experiment.
The Packers selected Love with the 26th pick in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft as the eventual successor to long-time starter Aaron Rodgers. But that plan backfired almost immediately and in several ways. Rodgers, presumably offended by his team drafting his replacement while he was still in uniform, responded by winning back-to-back MVP Awards. In between those two seasons, he also tried to force his way out of Green Bay — unhappy with his exclusion on decisions involving player personnel and play calling. Now, Rodgers is holding the Packers front office hostage while he decides whether he’d like to return to Green Bay and play on what will likely be the most expensive annual contract in NFL history or push again this offseason for an exit to a different franchise.
Meanwhile, Love has not looked the part of successor to an all-time great during his limited on-field experience. He has appeared in just six games during his career, starting one against the Kansas City Chiefs this season that the Packers lost in offensively anemic fashion by a score of 13-7. Love has thrown for a total of just 411 yards as a professional to go along with 2 TDs and 3 INTs, per Pro Football Reference.
The young signal caller has fallen so short of the mark, in fact, that one NFL analyst asserted recently the biggest mistake the Packers could make this offseason is emerging from the draft with Love still occupying a spot on the roster.
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Should Green Bay Part Ways With QB Jordan Love After Just 2 Years?
GettyGreen Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (left) and backup quarterback Jordan Love (right).
The problem with keeping Love around is not that Rodgers doesn’t want him there. The problem is that if Rodgers sticks in Green Bay, the Packers simply don’t need him.
Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report laid out the situation in a piece published Wednesday, February 23.
If Rodgers is willing to stay, the Packers will have a problem in the form of … Jordan Love. The veteran made it clear he never had a problem with Love, but how the organization went about the succession process became problematic.
Once it is all-in with Rodgers, Love’s presence will be redundant because the team won’t have seen him enough to make a decision on his fifth-year rookie option, which must be decided next offseason. As such, the 23-year-old would be far more valuable as a trade piece.
A decision by Rodgers may not come until after the draft. The Packers should do everything in their power to coax him into a commitment with a contract extension. How the front office handles multiple key free agents will be crucial as well. Then, the next step is moving Love. With a suspect quarterback class, he holds as much value as he ever will.
Love Has Not Impressed NFL Execs During Short Stint With Green Bay
Getty Green Bay Packers backup quarterback Jordan Love.
Sobleski is not the only NFL analyst writing in harsh realities when it comes to the Love experiment in Green Bay.
Bob McGinn of Go Long graded the entire Packers roster earlier this month, and what he had to say concerning Love was less than flattering.
“No one knows if he can play,” McGinn wrote. “In limited exposure, Love didn’t engender much optimism about his future. In 2020, the Packers thought more of Tim Boyle’s chances to win a game than Love’s, and Boyle was No. 2 all year. Elevated to No. 2 by default this year, Love went 0-2 in exhibition starts, 0-1 in a regular-season start and 0-1 when given the entire second half in Detroit. In 11 quarters of action, Love has generated 31 points.”
McGinn went on to quote an unnamed NFL executive who said that while Love has a lot of natural talent, the QB is also short of game awareness and experience.
“When things break down he will make a bad decision,” the exec told McGinn. “If [the Packers] had to start him next year, it’d obviously be a big step back as a team.”
That assessment argues against Sobleski’s notion that the trade value for Love is as high as it is ever going to get. But if Rodgers returns to Green Bay for the long haul, Love isn’t likely to get the opportunity to push his value any higher by taking meaningful regular season or postseason snaps.
In the end, it may be time to cut bait with the young signal caller after just two years and move forward with different options under center — either behind Rodgers or in his stead.