RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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GREEN BAY, Wis. — Jordan Love noticed the dynamic quickly his rookie year.
Aaron Rodgers was not running the Green Bay Packers offense the way Love had seen college quarterbacks run an offense.
Rodgers was not simply following what head coach Matt LaFleur dictated, and he was not only told what to do. He had influence. Love aspired to that.
“When I first got here, just being able to see how [LaFleur] and A-Rod had that relationship,” Love told Yahoo Sports on Wednesday after training camp practice. “Obviously it was a lot different with A-Rod: He’s been in multiple offenses, obviously the career he's had, just the knowledge he has of the game. But it was cool for me to be able to see that. See how they just bounced stuff off each other, much different than what it was in college to someone who just has complete control of the system.”
As Love waited behind Rodgers for three years, including two Rodgers MVP seasons, he continued to eye the goal.
He told himself: “That's what I want to get to. That’s my goal is I want to be able to have that communication with Matt when I take over.”
He’s achieved it.
Entering his fourth season with the keys in his hand, Love and LaFleur are constantly exchanging ideas to tweak the Packers’ playbook. Sure, football is football. But amid the vast array of plays and schemes that LaFleur’s offense theoretically encompasses, some concepts will flash more often than others. Some plays will rarely be run.
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LaFleur is involving Love more in that schematic turnover. And Love is getting more comfortable weighing in.
“Since I took over, it's something we've grown at year after year,” Love said. “And I’ve got more comfortable trying to talk to him about things I like, plays I like, things I don't like, and vice versa for him. So it's just something that we build throughout the years.
“But I think it all goes back to my time with A-Rod [to] be able to see their relationship, see how he communicates with him, to be able to get to things that he's comfortable with running.”
Entering his fourth year starting and seventh as a pro, Love has compiled a 27-20-1 record. He’s completed 64.3% of his passes for 11,535 yards, 83 touchdowns and 31 interceptions. Each of his three years starting, the Packers have advanced to the playoffs. And while the Packers lost their wild-card game at the Chicago Bears last season, Love threw for 323 yards and four touchdowns in the 31-27 decision.
Since Love earned the starting job, his 97.8 passer rating ranks 11th among the 75 quarterbacks who attempted at least 100 passes. The Packers’ offense ranked 16 th last year after finishing 12 th and eighth in yardage during Love’s initial two seasons starting.
As Love becomes one of the longest-tenured Packers, his array of pass-catchers shift. The Packers traded wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks to the Philadelphia Eagles in April and let Romeo Doubs leave in free agency to the New England Patriots. Green Bay’s 2025 first-round pick, Matthew Golden, now joins Christian Watson and Jayden Reed as the club’s projected starting three receivers. Tight end Tucker Kraft is also on track to return from an October ACL tear before the Packers’ Week 1 contest at the Minnesota Vikings.
Before then, Love and LaFleur will keep tailoring the offense to what best serves Love, nailing down his staple plays and building from there.
A franchise with unusual stability at quarterback will celebrate that.
“This probably happens to a lot of quarterbacks [where] they almost get to like where their knowledge is that of a coach,” general manager Brian Gutekunst told Yahoo Sports. “I think [Love]’s there. Obviously, earlier in your career, you're not. And then you first start playing and everything, you're kind of like adding all that expertise. So now he's kind of there.
“It’s a great thing for Matt and a great thing for Jordan too. It becomes more of a partnership collaboration.”
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