The Green Bay Packers have watched Jordan Love climb the league’s respect ladder every year he’s started, and 2026 pushed him past a new marker. Love cracked the top 10 for the first time in The Athletic’s annual Quarterback Tiers, coming in at No. 10 after ranking 13th a year ago.
He’s still a Tier 2 quarterback, but Love has risen in voting every season since he took over in Green Bay, and this year he landed between division rivals — behind Detroit’s Jared Goff at No. 8 and one spot ahead of Chicago’s Caleb Williams.
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Jordan Love Cracks Top 10 in Athletic’s 2026 QB Tiers
The tiers come from Mike Sando of The Athletic, who polled roughly 50 NFL coaches and executives and averaged their votes. Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Matthew Stafford and Joe Burrow made up the entire Tier 1. Love sat in a crowded Tier 2 with names like Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert and Goff.
Love ranked second in the NFL in EPA per pass play last season, trailing only Drake Maye. His voting average improved to 2.18 from 2.44, and 37 of the panelists slotted him into Tier 2, with two pushing him to Tier 1. One opposing defensive coordinator admitted the tape changed his mind.
“He’s good — I was surprised,” the coordinator said. “Really solid, mobile, threw with better accuracy than I thought. I’d give him a 2.”
Another coordinator saw the full range of tools and a real ceiling, with one catch.
“Smart, can do things at the line, has the arm talent, the mobility when he needs it, but knows how to sit in and deliver,” the coach said. “Not a consistent killer yet, but if he plays good ball, you can win a Super Bowl with him.”
NFL Coaches Still Question Jordan Love’s Consistency
The word that kept surfacing was consistency, and one defensive coach put the frustration bluntly.
“There are years where I could have pushed Love up to the bottom of Tier 1, top of Tier 2,” the coach said. “He needs more consistency, week-in and week-out. He has some WTF plays and throws, like, ‘Why are you doing this?'”
The Aaron Rodgers comparison hovered over all of it, and not always as a compliment. One defensive coordinator saw a quarterback finally growing out of his predecessor’s shadow.
“Early on, he was trying to be Aaron Rodgers. You could tell from his mannerisms: too cool for school,” the coordinator said. “I think he is starting to settle into who he really is. He has the size, the length, all the tools.”
Love sat behind Rodgers for three seasons, from 2020-2022, until the veteran was traded to the New York Jets. Since then, Love has gone 27-20-1 as a starter.
An executive who placed Love in Tier 3 wasn’t sure the hardest part of the job would ever come.
“It took Aaron Rodgers three years to learn how to manipulate the pocket. Brett just did it,” the exec said. “The question is, can Love learn it?”
Finally, another offensive coach compared Love to a Tier 2 version of Josh Allen, careless and overly aggressive at times, playing a style that looks like it shouldn’t work.
“He is at times careless and overly aggressive. It looks like it shouldn’t be working, and he’s getting away with things,” the coach said. “But he’s always getting away with them, so at some point, I just have to tip my cap and be impressed.”
That’s the Jordan Love the Packers are paying and building a team around.
Packers Get Honest Jordan Love Message From NFL Coaches