The Green Bay Packers and quarterback Jordan Love have been a contender in the NFC over the last few years. However, they have not been able to make the run they hoped for come playoff time.
Love has been a legitimate star quarterback since taking over for Aaron Rodgers. That being said, he has never taken the leap into superstar status that fans and analysts have been expecting.
Heading into the 2026 NFL season, the Packers need Love to take that next step. They need him to truly put himself among the league’s elite signal callers. He has the talent to do so, but there is a glaring question that must be answered.
ESPN’s Seth Walder believes that head coach Matt LaFleur needs to trust Love more and put the ball in his hands more than he has.
“Despite designing one of the league’s most efficient passing games, coach Matt LaFleur’s weakness has been leaning too heavily on running the ball,” Walder wrote. “In 2025, the Packers recorded 0.21 EPA per play on designed pass plays (second best) and minus-0.02 EPA per designed run (16th).”
“Despite that huge gap in efficiency, the Packers ranked 26th in pass rate over expected, per Next Gen Stats. If Green Bay puts the ball in quarterback Jordan Love’s hands more often, it should win more games.”
Major Jordan Love Question Must Be Answered by Packers
Following that take from Walder, Roundtable Sports’ Jordan Sigler weighed in with his take on the matter. He also offered another question mark Green Bay must answer on the offensive line.
“It’s unclear if LaFleur has been scared to put the ball in Love’s hands or if he fails to trust the offensive line to protect his quarterback. Pass protection has been a problem in the past, and after losing Rasheed Walker and Elgton Jenkins, it could continue to be an issue this season,” Sigler wrote.
“However, the Packers need to let Love have more command of the offense. Had Love been able to stay in rhythm against Chicago, the Green Bay likely would have won the Wild-Card Round.”
For Love to truly take the leap to being a superstar in the NFL, LaFleur will need to take the last bit of training wheels off of him. It’s time for the Packers to treat Love like the superstar they believe he is this season.
Looking Back at Jordan Love’s Career Thus Far in Green Bay
Love took over as the starting quarterback in Green Bay back in the 2023 season. He completed 64.2 percent of his pass attempts for 4,159 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. Love backed up that performance with 3,389 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in 2024.
Last season, the 27-year-old quarterback played in 15 games and completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 3,381 yards, 23 touchdowns, and six interceptions.
Some of his numbers have improved from the 2023 campaign, but others have actually regressed. Love has not put up as much production for the Packers.
That has to change in 2026. If Love can’t take the next step, Green Bay is likely headed for another disappointing finish to the year.
Hopefully, this year is the season that Love puts everything together and that LaFleur and the Packers’ coaching staff hand the offense over to him.
Packers Facing Glaring Jordan Love Question That Must Be Answered