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Thus far during the early portion of the Green Bay Packers’ offseason activities, it’s been a mixed bag for young quarterback Jordan Love.
Entering his second year, reports surfaced earlier that Love has not looked great during OTAs. More recently, it seems like the Utah State product is turning the corner.
The backdrop here is reigning NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers holding out from mandatory minicamp as he seeks a trade. That has put the spotlight on Love, especially if the small-school product is forced to start Week 1 against the division-rival New Orleans Saints.
In speaking to the media on Wednesday, Love made it perfectly clear that he’ll be ready to start opening day if Rodgers remains a holdout or is granted his request of a trade.
“A hundred percent,” Love told reporters on Wednesday. “Obviously, this is a time where I’m getting a lot of extremely valuable reps that I might not have been getting in a normal circumstance. So I’m just going to take it day by day. But yeah, that’s what I’m here for. I was drafted here to play quarterback, so I’ll definitely be ready Week 1.”
Love was selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft by Green Bay, a move that didn’t sit well with Rodgers.
Rodgers wanted offensive help that could contribute right away and definitely wasn’t expecting the team to select his potential replacement.
Aaron Rodgers seemed motivated by the situation and had a stellar season that included a career-best 48 touchdown passes along with 4,299 yards and just five interceptions, helping the Packers reach the NFC title game and earning his third league MVP award.
Rodgers, 37, made it clear following Green Bay’s loss to the Buccaneers in the aforementioned title game that his future with the Packers is uncertain. Then, on the day the 2021 NFL Draft started in late April, reports surfaced that he wanted to be traded.
This obviously puts Jordan Love in an unenviable position as he attempts to grasp the Packers’ offense during minicamp while working to cultivate relationships with pass-catchers. Remember, in-person offseason activities were canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That put Love behind the proverbial eight-ball.
Will Jordan Love be ready to start for the Green Bay Packers?
“It just goes back to kind of taking what’s there, and the opportunities presented themselves today for him to take some shots down the field,” head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters Wednesday, via the team’s official website. “One emphasis for Jordan is just to treat each play as its own entity. We’re always grading the decision-making, the timing, the accuracy and we want to see the consistency just continue to get better and better.”
While it all seems positive in Packer-land right now, it’s important to note that we have not seen Jordan Love perform within the confines of a game. In addition to offseason activities being thrown out the window last year, the preseason was also canceled. This means Love has not taken a snap in live-game action since the Frisco Bowl against Kent State back in December of 2020.
Obviously, the Packers would love to have Rodgers in the mix once Week 1 comes calling. After all, he’s not the reigning NFL MVP for no reason. With that said, they also need to prepare for Jordan Love to take reps should the Rodgers’ situation not improve. That’s why this week’s three-day minicamp is so important.
(Field Level Media contributed to this report)