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Bruner’s Beat: What is Jordan Love?

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by Evan Bruner

 

The Jordan Love era is officially underway in Green Bay. After sitting behind Aaron Rodgers for three years, Love has finally been given the reins to the Packers offense and will be the full-time starter in 2023. Although Love is a fourth-year player, he has the mystery of a typical rookie. With only one start in his first three seasons and most of his game reps coming in the preseason, it’s hard to reach any definitive conclusions on him. 

This has led to a wide range of outcomes for the Utah State product. Some are convinced that he’ll continue the lineage of great Packers quarterbacks, while others believe he’ll be a one-and-done starter. But what if he’s neither? It’s typical for fans to focus on the two extremes when making projections. However, there are more possibilities than just good and bad; in fact, most players in the league fall somewhere in between. 

Going off the limited game film we have of Love in the NFL, this seems to be the most likely outcome for 2023. His poise and ability to operate within the pocket have improved dramatically since he entered the league. All of this makes him less likely to throw his team out of games with bad decisions like he occasionally did in his final year of college.

Love’s transition to a pro-style quarterback is largely a positive, but this more controlled style of play makes him less likely to generate explosive pass plays. These tendencies to go with shaky deep accuracy suggest Love will take on more of a game manger role. 

In the short term, this is more than acceptable for the Packers. They still have a talented roster, and competent quarterback play should be enough to keep them in the thick of the NFC playoff race. It’s what Green Bay does in the long run that’s more of a question.

Love is in the final year of his rookie contract, and the Packers need to know as soon as possible if they want him to stick around. If Love is great or terrible, it will make for a pretty easy decision. If he’s neither of the two, things start to get interesting. 

Back in 2020, Love was billed as the ultimate wild card, and three years later, we still know very little about what his pro career holds. But with his first start as Green Bay’s full-time starter just around the corner, things won’t stay that way for long. 

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