With Aaron Rodgers on the verge of becoming a New York Jet, it is time to turn attention to the future for Green Bay, and specifically their next starting quarterback, Jordan Love.
Love has patiently waited, and through gradual progression has endeared the confidence of the Packers front office to give him his chance.
But what should the expectations of Love’s first season as a starter be? Could he offer an upgrade on what Aaron Rodgers produced in 2022?
Rodgers once said: “down years for me are career years for most quarterbacks”, and a down year is exactly what he is coming off. His final year in Green Bay was his worst since 2008, when he took the reins from Favre.
In 2008, Rodgers threw for just over 4,000 yards, 28 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, culminating in a passer rating of 93.8. A pretty encouraging stat line for a first-year starter.
Last season was similar and arguably worse. Rodgers threw 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, but only 3,700 yards and a passer rating of 91.1.
It may sound unrealistic or even blasphemous to say Love could match (or provide an upgrade on) Rodgers, but the bar is no longer set at an MVP level, and there are reasons to believe Love could hit the ground running.
Remember, he is not a rookie anymore. While he has not had much exposure to meaningful NFL action, from a mental standpoint, the fourth year QB should have a firm grasp of the offense he will step into.
Love also has a decent cast around him. Along with one of the NFL’s better running back tandems in Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon to lean on, a well-above average pass protection will also help him stay upright.
While the receiver and tight end depth charts look thin right now, there is still time to add weapons, and in the meantime, Love does have an ascending star in Christian Watson to target.
It is not perfect, but it should be plenty to allow Love to look at least competent. As a minimum in 2023, he needs to show he is someone the Packers can win with, if not because of.
There will naturally be growing pains, but those could come later in the season rather than early. Not much tape exists on Love and if he could catch teams somewhat by surprise. Once the book is out on him though, he will need to adjust on the fly.
Packers fans may have to get used to seeing more interceptions once Rodgers is gone, but with the offense being under the full control of Matt LaFleur, it could look more cohesive and efficient than the brainchild of LaFleur and Rodgers often did.
While the transition from Rodgers to Love will undoubtedly be rocky at times, there is a legitimate possibility of a better end result in terms of wins and losses for the Packers in 2023.
