Packers Urged to Replace Jordan Love With Rising QB for 2024

Getty The future of Packers quarterback Jordan Love is the subject of the latest NFL trade rumors.

The Green Bay Packers are seeing progress from starting quarterback Jordan Love, but the latest NFL rumors have them making a change next offseason and moving up in the 2024 NFL draft to select a new franchise quarterback.

Following Week 10’s slate of Sunday games, Bleacher Report declared the quarterback position to be one of the biggest weaknesses on the Packers’ current roster and urged them to consider making a change away from Love during next spring’s NFL draft — if they have the gall to move up in the first round and select North Carolina’s Drake Maye.

Jordan Love Has Not Solidified Long-Term Future

Questions about Love’s long-term future with the Packers are valid. He has shown signs of growth throughout their troubled 2023 campaign, but there have also been several instances where his decision-making and accuracy have landed the team in trouble.

Through nine starts in 2023, Love has completed just 58.7% of his passes (176 of 300), which ranks worst among quarterbacks who have played at least six games this season. Despite his 12 touchdown passes, he has also thrown a league-high 10 interceptions, tying him with New England’s Mac Jones despite playing one fewer game than him.

Now, Love is not to blame for all of Green Bay’s mishaps and shortcomings. He is working with one of the least experienced offensive supporting casts in the NFL, one that counts 2020 third-round pick Josiah Deguara as its only pass-catcher with more than one full season under his belt. He also lost his All-Pro blindside blocker — David Bakhtiari — to a season-ending knee injury following their first game against Chicago.

Still, the Packers likely hoped to find faster success after letting Love sit and learn behind four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers for the first three seasons of his NFL career. They even signed him to a contract extension during the offseason that keeps him tied to the team through 2024; although, a rough finish to the 2023 season could tempt the general manager Brian Gutekunst and the Packers’ brass to change course for next year.

Packers Have Greater Roster Needs Than QB for 2024

Don’t worry, Jordan Love defenders: The reasons for keeping Love remain solid, too.

The Packers could target a quarterback with their top selection in the 2024 draft, but their long-term approach to Love’s development suggests they are willing to give him one more year to prove himself. If that’s the case, then they are far better off putting their 2024 first-round pick toward building up Love’s supporting cast, whether it be a high-level wide receiver or one of the class’ top offensive tackles to replace Bakhtiari.

Part of the problem, too, is the amount of money the Packers have committed to Love. Bleacher Report is correct; the Packers could save money if they designated Love as a post-June 1 cut during next year’s offseason, but they would only save about $500,000 against the salary cap for 2024 and eat more than $7.25 million in dead cap, according to Over the Cap. It is hard to imagine Gutekunst paying such a high cost to get rid of his hand-selected quarterback, even if 2023 finishes far below original expectations.