Packers’ Aaron Rodgers Sends Strong Message to Backup Jordan Love

The Green Bay Packers‘ already look like they have a championship-level defense. The offense, however, has been another story.

There wasn’t a starker example of the team’s offensive woes than the performance of backup quarterback Jordan Love during Green Bay’s first preseason contest against the San Francisco 49ers on Friday, August 12. Love was a pedestrian 13 of 24 for 176 yards. He also threw two touchdown passes and, most importantly, three interceptions.

Any stat sheet with three turnovers is going to look ugly, but the Packers’ problems are even worse than they appear at first glance. That’s because Love’s three interceptions were less related to his performance than they were to those of his wide receivers.

While Love isn’t likely to play a meaningful snap this season absent an injury to starter Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay is highly likely to trot out a parade of pass catchers as they try to solidify a position group without a clear No. 1, or even a clear No. 2, talent.

Rodgers spoke to Love’s performance, and those of the Packers’ wideouts, during a media session following practice on Tuesday.

“Aaron Rodgers said he ‘felt bad’ for Jordan Love with so much he couldn’t control going wrong around him Friday night in SF: ‘It might look bad on the stat sheet with three picks, but the film tells a very different story,'” Ryan Wood of USA Today tweeted. “A solid endorsement of Love’s preseason opener.”

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Rodgers Sounds Off on Poor Wide Receiver Play During Preseason

GettyWide receiver Romeo Doubs of the Green Bay Packers catches a touchdown pass against the San Francisco 49ers during an NFL preseason game at Levi’s Stadium on August 12, 2022 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Two of Love’s three picks came as a direct result of mistakes by receivers, while the third head coach Matt LaFleur wrote off to bad route running.

“I think two of those [interceptions] you can totally take off [Love],” LaFleur said following the game. “The third one, we had two busted routes because the ball really shouldn’t have gone there on that play, but he had nowhere else to go with the football, and he forced it in there, and the defender made a good play.”

Rodgers on Tuesday lamented repeated mistakes by Packers’ wide receivers during a joint practice with the New Orleans Saints, per ESPN’s Rob Demovsky.

“It’s, unfortunately, some of the same guys,” Rodgers said. “Repeat mistakes are a problem, so we’ve just got to clean those up a little bit. The young guys, especially young receivers, we’ve got to be way more consistent. A lot of drops, a lot of bad route decisions, running the wrong route, so we’ve got to get better in that area.”

Trade Market For Love Likely Strong if Packers Decide to Move On

GettyBackup quarterback Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers warms up prior to a game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on November 21, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

While Love wasn’t the problem against the Niners, his clock in Green Bay appears already to be ticking.

The Packers just extended Rodgers on a three-year deal for $151 million coming off back-to-back MVP seasons. Love is entering the third year of his rookie contract and the franchise will need to decide by next offseason whether to pick up his expensive fifth-year option.

Love was drafted as Rodgers’ heir apparent, but it is clear now that the front office badly misjudged the timetable for bringing in such a player, particularly by trading up to select him late in the first round.

Green Bay isn’t likely to have an opportunity for Love under center on his timeline, and stashing Love on the sideline for five years then watching him walk away wastes a valuable asset — a young quarterback with starting potential — who could command a high price on the trade market.

Demovsky noted earlier in the preseason that a realistic trade timeline for Love would be next spring, but it could arrive faster based on circumstances. Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns appears likely to miss more than half of the season following an NFL appeal to his six-game suspension, which could make the Browns a player for Love in the near future.

Injuries to other starters around the league, or coaches and executives feeling pressure to win now with subpar quarterbacks could also result in an increased market for Love, meaning a higher return.

Any franchise coming correct with the appropriate draft compensation, say a first-round or a second-round pick, would force Green Bay to consider their offer seriously.