Packers fans have been blessed over the last two decades. They didn’t just have one hall of famer at quarterback, they had two, in the shape of Brett Favre and his successor Aaron Rodgers. Thanks to the unrivaled talents of these two running the show for Green Bay, the Packers have remained in title contention for all but a couple of seasons since 1992. And now it’s down to QB Jordan Love to make his mark. But can he?
The Green Bay Packers Quarterback Transition
For Green Bay fans, a Hall of Fame caliber roster—well, perhaps just at one position—isn’t just a one-off golden generation circumstance. It’s the expectation.
However, there are concerns in Wisconsin that the era of legendary quarterbacks could be coming to an end. After a blockbuster trade sent Rodgers from Lambeau Field to MetLife Stadium with the New York Jets, fans have been eager to see what his predecessor will deliver come the start of the NFL season.
The early narratives would not suggest many Packers fans are too optimistic with many speculating that, while the Jets are now Super Bowl contenders, the Packers are now rebuilding, hoping for the best from a season that might not reach the heights of the last few years. The four-time MVP is obviously a big loss, you don’t find many quarterbacks like that these days but stories of Green Bay’s demise seem a little premature, especially knowing the talent Love possesses.
Is Jordan Love the Next Packers Elite Quarterback?
The first thing to consider is that this is not a complete rebuilding of the side that went for three-straight 13-win seasons from 2019 to 2021. There’s a lot of talent on both sides of the ball and, while they will need to be at their best to have a similarly successful campaign, the success of the side is not, and has never been, solely down to the performances of Rodgers.
Allen Lazard, Marcedes Lewis and Randall Cobb might have followed the 39-year-old out of the door but there is still plenty of key talent that remains for Love to make best use out of. The younger generation will have to come to the fore now that some of the veterans of the side have left yes, but wide receivers Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Samori Toure are more than up to that task and all are capable of making the necessary difference.
Elsewhere tight end Josiah Deguara will need to improve on last season’s output but has the credentials to do just that while Aaron Jones will need to step up too. The running back made a career-high of 1121 yards last campaign but Jones will need to recapture the form that saw him score 16 touchdowns in 2019 and his stats from last season suggest he is more than capable of doing so should Love pull the strings effectively. Not much is expected from this young group and their Super Bowl odds reflect that.
According to US betting sites, the Packers are +6600 to win the Super Bowl this year. But they have bundles of potential and while it may take a bit of time to settle, the roster surrounding him is not an area of concern that should reflect badly on Love next campaign.
Does Jordan Love Have What it Takes?
Jordan Love, QB1. Happy training camp opening day, Packers nation. pic.twitter.com/bywSerKxRV
— Kevin Holden (@321cuekevin) July 26, 2023
As for the 24-year-old himself, he has all the capabilities to become a standout NFL quarterback. There are big shoes to fill of course—after all you can’t simply replace over 59,000 passing yards and 475 career touchdowns just like that. However, early indications suggest that he has an absolute cannon of a right arm and that he possesses good mobility that could come in handy in tricky situations.
QB Jordan Love certainly proved so against the Philadelphia Eagles last season. The Eagles were having their way with the Packers before Love was introduced to the game following a rib injury to Rodgers and it was that spark they needed. He looked supremely confident calling the shots and led his side to two scoring-drives. He dismantled the top team in the NFC and while it may have been late on in a dominant display from the Eagles, his 113 yards and touchdown pass proved that he was ready for the step up. He’d need to do that again as the NFC will run through Philadelphia again this year.
The primary concern is that the Packers may have missed a trick in not giving him enough game time to this point. Green Bay missed the window of opportunity to capitalize on Love’s cheaper rookie contract meaning that even though the Californian is only just starting out his first season at the head of the Packers’ offensive line, the franchise will have to make a decision sooner rather than later on whether they want Love to stay put and build a team around him. It’s a huge gamble and if it doesn’t pay off then the Packers will well and truly be back to square one rebuilding from the bottom up. Whether that pressure will get to the 24-year-old is yet to be seen but at the end of the day he is still a first-round pick and the Packers staff believe in his ability enough to put him at the forefront of everything they will be doing in attack.
Love Backed by Head Coach LaFleur
It’s clear he has the full backing of his head coach Matt LaFleur who said he’s confident Love has what it takes to be a successful starter. “I have complete confidence in his ability, but also just his approach,” he told Matt Schneidman from The Athletic. “It’s been fun to watch him mature as a football player, as a man, over the course of these last three years. The way he walks around the building, his approach, his urgency, his fundamentals, everything that goes into being a quarterback, I think we’ve seen significant growth from him. So I’m definitely excited about where he could be.”
He also has the full support of his teammates that he can do the job with offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins making it clear that the team will continue to perform in Rodgers’ absence. “We’ve got to embrace that and moving forward put points on the board, like we always do,” he told the Green Bay Press-Gazette. “It’s going to be different because Rodgers has been playing the game for so many years, but I feel like we’ll be good.”
All things considered, the NFC North will not be the toughest conference to contend with in the NFL next season and that sets things up nicely for the Packers. It won’t take much to improve on their underwhelming eight wins last campaign and not many are expecting them to do much in 2023 either. That could play into Love’s hands.
Even Rodgers’ first season was tough with only six wins. But the following one saw 11 victories and the season after that a Super Bowl win. If this team can earn a playoff spot, which isn’t out of the question, then the future will be bright for QB Jordan Love and the Packers.
