The Most Important Green Bay Packers: Love Will Wait His Turn — For Now

The Green Bay Packers went 13-3 last season, won the NFC North and reached the NFC Championship Game. San Francisco routed the Packers, though, 37-20, in the conference title game and Green Bay enters the 2020 season with several questions.

The Packers are hoping to begin training camp in late July.

Between now and the start of camp, I will count down the ‘30 Most Important Packers’ heading into the 2020 campaign.

Rookie quarterback Jordan Love, who the Packers traded up to take in the first round, checks in at No. 24. The other players that have been revealed in the top-30 are listed at the bottom of the story.

No. 24

QB, Jordan Love

Bio: Love, who played collegiately at Utah State, excelled under coach Matt Wells in 2018. That season Love had 32 touchdown passes, six interceptions, threw for 3,567 yards and completed 64.0% of his passes. Wells left for Texas Tech, though, was replaced by former University of Wisconsin coach Gary Andersen, and Love struggled.

In 2019, Love threw 20 touchdowns, a concerning 17 interceptions and averaged just 7.2 yards per throw. Love had six games with multiple interceptions and had three picks returned for touchdowns.

Some blamed the talent around Love and the coaching change, but his decision making in 2019 was abysmal. In addition, Love was cited for marijuana possession in December, but the case was later dismissed.

Love (6-4, 219) has fantastic arm talent, can throw from several arm slots, has nifty touch on deep balls and has extremely large hands (10 ½ inches). Love’s confidence is sky-high, he’s a natural thrower and he has terrific scrambling ability.

Love seemed to lack anticipation, though, and was slow in his reads last season. Love has a long windup and will stare receivers down. At times, Love bailed on plays before he needed to and his accuracy declined in 2019.

Love’s physical gifts and flashes of brilliance excited many teams, though, including Green Bay.

Outlook: In the last 20 years, 55 quarterbacks have been taken in the first round. Of those, 54 were starting by their third season.

Love, who’s just 21 years old, will likely watch and learn the next two seasons then take over by 2022.

Aaron Rodgers signed a four-year, $134 million contract extension in Aug., 2018 that runs through the 2023 season. Due to the amount of dead cap space, the Packers probably couldn’t move on from Rodgers for two more years.

If Green Bay dumped Rodgers today, its salary cap hit would be $51,148,000. The cap hit would be $31,556,000 before the 2021 season, $17,204,000 before 2022 and $2,852,000 before 2023.

Love will be operating on a rookie deal that’s expected to average in the $3 million range. That means Green Bay’s best potential out from Rodgers would be after the 2021 season when the dead cap hit is a manageable $17,204,000.

For now, Rodgers and Love will try making the best of an awkward situation.

“I’ve always had great relationships with my backups and always loved helping those guys out in any way,” Rodgers said. “The more questions they have, the more answers I have. I really, truly embrace those relationships and it’ll be the same with Jordan.”

Even with Rodgers around, Love has a decent chance of seeing the field at some point in 2020. Since 2013, Rodgers has broken both collarbones, battled through several other injuries and missed an average of 2.3 games per year.

History says that Rodgers, who turns 37 this season, will have a tough time making it through the year. If Rodgers goes down again, Love will get his chance to shine.

Comments

“He’s a nice-sized kid, he’s a really good athlete, he’s a natural thrower, he’s got a strong arm, can make all the throws, has the ability to create and make a lot of second chances to throw the ball. Obviously, he had a whole new coaching staff come in, so that was a little bit new. A little bit different personnel around him. Certainly, he’s got to clean some of that stuff up. But we thought he had the kind of skill set that could play up here and will have a chance to be a pretty solid quarterback in the National Football League.” — Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst on Love

“This guy is a humble guy. We showed some of his really good clips, which he is extremely talented, as well as some clips that weren’t the best. What I love about him is just the accountability he took for everything, whether it was a good play, bad play. I think that gives you a chance any time you have that kind of mindset. The talent is there. He’s athletic.” — Packers head coach Matt LaFleur on Love

“I’m a playmaker. I’m always ready to make plays, whatever’s needed. I have a really good arm, I’d say, a lot of confidence in that and a lot of confidence in my abilities to make plays as a quarterback. I’m going to come in here and work, continue to get better and improve my game.” — Jordan Love

“Obviously, I’m not going to say that I was, you know, thrilled by the pick necessarily. But I understand. The organization is thinking not only about the present, but about the future. And I respect that. I understand that their focus and their mindset, and obviously they thought that he was such a great talent that they needed to go up and get him. So, like I said, generally surprised, but it’s what those guys are paid to do, to put together a roster for now and for the future as well.” — Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers on Green Bay’s decision to draft Love

THE TOP 30

• No. 30 — WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling

• No. 29 — TE-FB Josiah Deguara

• No. 28 — RB Jamaal Williams

• No. 27 — DE Kingsley Keke

• No. 26 — TE Jace Sternberger

• No. 25 — RB A.J. Dillon