Green Bay Packers: What is the endgame for Jordan Love?

What will the future look like for quarterback Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers and will they be together in the long run?

Almost exactly one year ago, the Green Bay Packers were in the 2020 NFL Draft and made one of the most mind-boggling moves in draft history when they traded up in the first round to select QB Jordan Love out of Utah State. While the Packers claimed at the time that they were picking the best player available, it was clear to everyone else that there were deeper motives beyond that.

As the 2020 NFL season came and went, so did Jordan Love’s rookie season in which he spent the entirety of it designated as the third quarterback listed in the depth chart behind Tim Boyle and, of course, Aaron Rodgers.

If the plan all along was to light a fire under the veteran quarterback’s seat with their maniacal draft selection, then it’s safe to say it worked swimmingly. Rodgers went on to receive the third NFL MVP award of his career by having one of the best seasons he’s ever had in his illustrious career.

Now that we’ve moved past the first year of this quarterback dilemma, though, it’s beginning to look as though the Green Bay Packers will have to make a stressful situation in the not-so-distant future in regards to their starting passer and their young project. Rodgers’ contract is set to last through the 2023 season, giving the organization just three years to decide how they want to play this out.

Where do the Green Bay Packers go forward with Jordan Love?

Jordan Love’s name was first introduced during the 2018 college football season, where at Utah State, he completed 64 percent of his passes for 3,550 yards, 32 touchdowns and six interceptions, finishing the year with a 110.1 passer rating, per PFF (subscription required). This was also a year in which PFF gave Love the highest grade of his college career with an 82.8.

The 2019 season, however, saw a dropoff in the potential stardom that was displayed a year prior. In the same 13-game season, Love completed 62 percent of his passes for 3,405 yards, 20 touchdowns and 17 interceptions to finish with an 82.8 passer rating and a 75.3 PFF grade.

What troubled scouts about him though was his severe inability to throw under pressure, as he registered a 49.4 passer grade when facing pressure, per PFF. Despite some offputting signs of this steep decline in just one year, the Packers felt that he was poised to become the next in line for the starting quarterback position in the future.

Not having a training camp nor a preseason was extremely harmful to Love as his only reps in 2020 came through practice. While all reps are good reps, nothing compares to the real thing. As told by Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst, he will be given a significant amount of playing time in the preseason in 2021 to see “where he’s at” in regards to his development.

While this is obviously something to be expected, the wording and predicament of it all sound pretty unfavorable.

In case you needed a reminder, Love was the only quarterback who was taken in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft who did not play a single snap during the regular season or postseason. As mentioned above, he wasn’t even the backup quarterback for Titletown. Considering they not only drafted him over a wide receiver or middle linebacker like Patrick Queen (who was still on the board at the time), it makes you wonder what the endgame is for Love.

For there to be any potential of Love playing for the Packers as a starting quarterback, he not only needs to play in every preseason matchup but he needs to dominate in those games. If the Utah State product has an underwhelming training camp and preseason, it’s doubtful he’ll see any more playing time than he did in 2020.

If that’s the case, the most probable endgame for Jordan Love is that he becomes trade bait and the Packers use him as leverage to acquire a big name to make a final push for the Lombardi Trophy. If this past year alone is any indication of where he stands, it’s that he’s on an island by himself right now.