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The Green Bay Packers feel they have a franchise quarterback in Jordan Love. They clearly felt that could have been the case when they traded up from No. 30 to No. 26 to take Love out of Utah State in the 2020 NFL Draft. This was despite the fact that they still had future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers on the roster and arguably still in his prime, but that’s just the Green Bay way, right?
They were willing to upset the apple cart — and the ayahuasca cup — to take the bet that Love would be their future quarterback. In fact, the Packers were so sure that Love was their guy when he fell to them that they didn’t even talk to Rodgers about the plan, via, Rob Demovsky of ESPN in April of 2020.
“I haven’t connected with Aaron yet, but he’s obviously been through this and he’s a pro. I think it’s certainly, this is something that is a long-term decision. I think when you go through kind of the way things went tonight, you run the short-term and the long-term. The way the board fell, this was the best decision for the Packers,” General Manager Brain Gutekunst said after he drafted Love. “I think obviously Aaron’s been around for a long time, and he knows what we’re playing for right now, and that’s what’s most important right now.”
That decision worked out for the Packers in the short-term because Rodgers spite-won two more NFL MVP’s and helped keep their Super Bowl window open. But when push came to shove and the Packers felt it was time to move on from the four-time MVP, they once again put their faith in Love.
Rodgers was traded to the New York Jets — which didn’t work out, to say the last — and Love was given the reigns of the offense full-time heading into the 2023 season. He started slow and shaky, but by the end of that season he was one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. In fact, he had a stretch that saw him throw 18 touchdowns compared to just one interception, and the Packers made the playoffs as a Wild Card team.
That led to Love leading the Packers into AT&T Stadium to put a beating on the Dallas Cowboys, and the young and upstart Packers did their best to hang with the San Francisco 49ers — the ultimate NFC Champion — in the Divisional Round.
Love’s performance in the second half of 2023 was enough for the Packers to once again put trust in him, and this time they put their money where their mouth is to the tune of four-years and $220 million with $160.3 million guaranteed.
That all led to this past 2024 season, when the Packers admittedly underwhelmed — losing their last three games including one to the Chicago Bears at home and then a stinker in the playoffs against the Philadelphia Eagles — and Love was up and...
