Ready or not, Jordan Love is the man.
Everyone knew this moment was going to come. From the instant he was selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, it would just be a matter of time before Love replaced Aaron Rodgers as the linchpin and field leader of the Green Bay Packers offense.
This year, the young man out of Utah State gets his shot at leading one of the most historically significant franchises in the NFL which, by the way, also has a history of producing legendary quarterbacks.
As a whole, though, everyone in the Packers organization seems high on Love, his character, and the potential he has to be a suitable followup to the four-time MVP Rodgers.
Packers running back Aaron Jones, specifically, is high on Love’s ability to be the leader Green Bay needs him to be.
“Doesn’t matter if you’re on the practice squad, the last guy on the roster or the first guy on the roster, he’s greeting everybody, every day,” Jones recently told Sports Illustrated. “When it comes to out on the field, he’s encouraging everybody. If something doesn’t go right, he’s still in your ear…He’s everything you want in a leader and a quarterback. He’s really bringing these young guys along, as well, making sure they know what they’re doing, questioning them in meetings, making sure they’re on their game. We’re going to need everybody. It takes all 11. We’re going to depend on each other.”
Love, although lacking in true field experience, has already had a baptism by fire of sorts. Last season, trailing 34–23 on the road against the significantly superior Philadelphia Eagles, Love was brought into the game in the third quarter to replace an injured Rodgers. He would complete six of nine passes for 113 yards and throw for a touchdown in what, ultimately, proved to be a losing effort.
“He went out and showed he can do it at a high level against a championship team,” Jones emphasized. “They played in the Super Bowl…Not going in warmed up, not going in with the game plan geared toward him or anything. When he got his opportunity, he made the most of it. That really excites me for this year.”
Of course, it could also be pointed out that Love turned in a losing performance the year prior, in his only starting NFL performance, facing the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. In that game, Love went 19 of 34 with 190 yards, throwing for a touchdown and giving up an interception.
But in true winner form, Love sees that as a positive and as a learning experience.
“That game was huge,” Love told Sports Illustrated. “Really, any time I was able to get on the field in a live-action game was huge and I love that, but that game particularly, you get a chance to learn and see what the game is actually like, see what it’s like when you’re getting all-out [blitzed] a lot. See what it’s like when you have a close game, you’re on the road, the stadium is loud, just the environment. It’s different when you’re watching on the sideline versus actually being in the game, just getting that feel for it.”
Time will tell whether saying all the right things and doing all the right things to assume a leadership role on the team will translate into actual wins. In the meantime, teammates like Aaron Jones have become true believers when it comes to Jordan Love.
