As the entire world now knows, the Packers won’t have future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers under center at the start of the 2023 season. It’s been discussed at great length at this point. It feels like Rodgers and the Jets have been the talk of the NFL for the entire offseason. However, what hasn’t been discussed as much is the QB replacing Rodgers.
The Jordan Love era will begin tonight in Week 1 of the preseason against the Bengals. Jordan Love was drafted 26th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft. Of course, when you consider Rodgers was only 36 at the time, it came as a surprise to most. Not only did the Packers draft a QB, they traded up to do it. All Rodgers did it return was win back-to-back MVP awards in 2021 and 2022, putting together one of the best 2 year runs as a QB in recent history. It goes without saying that there is a ton of pressure on Love this season. What happens if Love doesn’t play well, and Rodgers puts on a show in New York, bringing them to the playoffs? While some would argue it was time for Green Bay to move on from Rodgers, it will not look good if the replacement can’t play. There’s a lot riding on this season. However, there’s reason to believe Love and the Packers will be okay. Aside from the QB change, the roster is largely the same as last year. The team has two very good running backs, a competent offensive line, and, led by Christian Watson, an ascending wide receiver group. In addition to all of that, Love has a competent coach in Matt LaFleur and a defense that will usually keep the team in games. Combine this with a division with the Bears and Vikings who will likely regress from last year, and a weak conference, and you can talk yourself into a scenario where the Packers have 7-8 wins heading into the final week of the season, and fighting for a playoff spot. That’s exactly where they were last year in Week 18.
Love has a lot to prove this year, but it’s not a foregone conclusion that the Packers will bottom out this year. Fortunately, we won’t have to wait too much longer to see whether or not the Packers made the right call by giving the keys of the franchise to Jordan Love.