MADISON \u2014 There\u2019s a very important date circled \u2014 well, digitally anyway \u2014 on Jordan Love\u2019s calendar.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No, it\u2019s not October 26.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s June 29.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s when the Green Bay Packers quarterback will marry longtime girlfriend Ronika Stone, as the two made sure their nuptials wouldn\u2019t conflict with the start of Packers training camp or Stone\u2019s professional volleyball season.<\/p>\n
\u201cThree more weeks,\u201d a smiling Love said during a break in Friday\u2019s first round of the American Family Insurance Championship at TPC Wisconsin.<\/p>\n
That October 26 date is a little further away, but Love knows exactly what is scheduled to happen on that day, too: Him facing off with Aaron Rodgers, the Pittsburgh Steelers\u2019 new starting quarterback \u2014 as well as Love\u2019s former teammate, mentor and friend \u2014 when the Packers visit Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh for a prime-time \u201cSunday Night Football\u201d showdown.<\/p>\n
Love, who mingled with fans as a brand ambassador for AmFam during Day 1 of the tournament, learned of Rodgers\u2019 one-year deal with the Steelers on Thursday like the rest of the football world.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was excited for A-Rod. I don\u2019t think I was too surprised,\u201d Love said. \u201cI feel like there were a lot of rumors going on throughout the whole offseason about him going to the Steelers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was excited for him, that he was obviously coming back and going to be playing. There were also some rumors that he might be done, so just knowing he\u2019s going to keep playing, that\u2019s pretty awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s also how Love described the way Rodgers treated him after the general manager Brian Gutekunst used his first-round pick on Love in the 2020 NFL Draft \u2014 just as the team had done in 2005, when then-GM Ted Thompson took Rodgers in the first round despite having future Pro Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre as his starter.<\/p>\n
Rodgers\u2019 signing with the Steelers conjured up memories for Love about how Rodgers mentored him during their three seasons (2020-\u201922) together \u2014 and how Favre\u2019s treatment of him shaped how Rodgers approached his relationship with Love.<\/p>\n
\u201cI appreciate definitely the way A-Rod handled being in that situation, and I think a big part of it was \u2014 which he told me \u2014 was he knew how it was for him being in that same position, and the things that he went through and the way the situation might\u2019ve been handled [differently],\u201d Love recounted before conducting an impromptu autograph session with fans. \u201cI think his perspective was, \u2018I\u2019m trying to go about this a little bit differently,\u2019 which I think was awesome.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my time with A-Rod, we had a great relationship. It was awesome being in the same room with him, being able to learn. He was amazing with everything. And I definitely appreciate the way he handled everything on the outside with obviously him leaving and me taking over, and he\u2019s been very supportive of me [since].<\/p>\n
\u201cIt definitely helped with some of the negativity that might\u2019ve come with that. But A-Rod handled it like a pro and did me very right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rodgers\u2019 exit in April 2023, when he was traded to the New York Jets, was far different than Favre\u2019s 2008 departure, even though he was traded to the same organization.<\/p>\n
That summer, of course, Favre unretired and showed up at training camp, ostensibly to reclaim his old job but in actuality in hopes of being released so he could sign with the Minnesota Vikings.<\/p>\n
Being booed by Packers fans and having fervent Favre supporters hurl insults at him left a mark on Rodgers, as did Favre\u2019s public and private proclamations that it wasn\u2019t his job to \u201cmentor\u201d his successor.<\/p>\n
Although Rodgers and Favre eventually rebuilt a friendship, Rodgers was determined not to treat Love the way he\u2019d been treated by Favre.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow can you not be changed by those experiences?\u201d Rodgers said in an August 2021. \u201cI mean, that definitely shaped the direction of my career, I think both professionally and personally, and I think that was an important time of growth for me. And so I definitely harken back to that summer at various times, and thought about putting myself in [Love\u2019s] shoes. What\u2019s he got to be feeling, what are his emotions, how is this for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was important for me and it\u2019s not going to change. I have a lot of respect and love for Jordan, and I understand it\u2019s got to be tough, what he went through. I can understand a little bit about what he\u2019s going through, so I just try to keep that in mind the entire time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked Friday if Rodgers\u2019 treatment of him is one of the reasons why Packers-Steelers won\u2019t be some kind of grudge match against the guy he replaced, Love replied, \u201cDefinitely. I think a lot of that was. He\u2019d been through the very same situation I was in, and he knew what it feels like to be in that situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s just a testament to his character and the way he treats people. He was trying to go about it differently than it was for him. And I was grateful for that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, make no mistake: The 26-year-old Love is a fierce competitor just like the 41-year-old Rodgers still is, and he certainly wants to beat the Steelers and outplay his friend. But the game will have a decidedly less bloodthirsty vibe than the times Favre faced the Packers with the Vikings in 2009 and 2010.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be fun. It\u2019s going to be awesome. I\u2019m excited for it,\u201d Love said. \u201cI can\u2019t wait to be on different sides, meeting up, and I know we\u2019ll talk pre-game, things like that. And hopefully we can exchange jerseys after.\u201d<\/p>\n
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