First in a series.<\/p>\n
GREEN BAY \u2014 Jordan Love is writing his own story. He isn\u2019t interested in plagiarizing Aaron Rodgers\u2019 biography as the Green Bay Packers\u2019 starting quarterback word-for-word.<\/p>\n
But if his Chapter 3 ends up bearing a striking resemblance to the one Rodgers authored in 2010 \u2014 when Rodgers led the Packers to the Super Bowl XLV championship \u2014 Love certainly won\u2019t mind.<\/p>\n
After all, even if meant facing even more comparisons to his predecessor in the years to come, he\u2019d have a championship and Super Bowl MVP award to point to, just like Rodgers has.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you talk about Aaron and what he did in his third year, I never try to compare. Because that\u2019s so hard to do There\u2019s so many different situations that go on,\u201d Love said durin0-g a break in the team\u2019s offseason program.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut at the end of the day, I\u2019ve been here. [I\u2019m] going on Year 6, going on my third year playing. Everything is right there in front of us and for this team. It’s just about going out there and executing.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the goal is definitely a Super Bowl. That\u2019s the mindset we have and we\u2019re going to put in the work to be able to hopefully get there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Love, obviously, will be critical to turning that hope into reality. And he\u2019ll have to make a meaningful jump in his third season as the starter to give the Packers their best shot at competing for a championship, as general manager Brian Gutekunst declared they\u2019re ready to do.<\/p>\n
After a torrid finish to the 2023 season, Love presided over the Packers\u2019 three-game losing streak to close 2024 \u2014 regular-season losses to the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears (dropping the Packers to 1-5 in the NFC North) and a season-ending NFC wild card playoff loss to the eventual Super Bowl LIX-champion Philadelphia Eagles in which Love threw three interceptions.<\/p>\n
Love\u2019s Week 1 left knee injury and Week 8 left groin injury surely factored into his performance last season, and the team\u2019s 33 dropped passes \u2014 tied for third-most in the 32-team NFL \u2014 didn\u2019t help his final season stat line, either.<\/p>\n
Just ask head coach Matt LaFleur.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there\u2019s a narrative out there for whatever reason that he wasn\u2019t as productive as the year before,\u201d LaFleur said. \u201cWell, he missed significant time [with injuries] \u2026 and also \u2014 let\u2019s be honest, we\u2019ve talked about this \u2014 we did have a lot of drops last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, there\u2019s other circumstances that play into it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fair, but those explanations also don\u2019t tell the full story.<\/p>\n
To close 2023, Love completed 70.4% of his passes for 2,597 yards with 23 touchdowns and just one interception (116.5 passer rating) over the final eight regular-season games, in his near-perfect performance in an NFC wild card road win over the Dallas Cowboys, and up until throwing an interception on his final third-quarter pass in the Packers\u2019 season-ending NFC divisional loss to the San Francisco 49ers.<\/p>\n
In the Packers\u2019 three straight losses to end 2024, though, Love completed only 61.3% of his throws for 466 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions (all against Philadelphia) for a passer rating of 66.9.<\/p>\n
Love must play at a higher level than that down the stretch this season, and no one knows that better than he does.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re talking about Super Bowl. That\u2019s the goal for us,\u201d Love said. \u201cWe talked about that last year, and that\u2019s the same message this year. We\u2019re trying to win a Super Bowl.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m definitely trying to be that guy to be able to take this team and lead them to that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a closer look at the quarterback position as the Packers prepare for training camp, which kicks off with its first practice on July 23:<\/p>\n
Depth Chart\u00a0<\/p>\n
No.<\/p>\n
Name<\/p>\n
Pos.<\/p>\n
Ht.<\/p>\n
Wt.<\/p>\n
Age<\/p>\n
Exp.<\/p>\n
College<\/p>\n
10<\/p>\n
Jordan Love<\/p>\n
QB<\/p>\n
6-4<\/p>\n
219<\/p>\n
26<\/p>\n
6<\/p>\n
Utah State<\/p>\n
\u00a02<\/p>\n
Malik Willis<\/p>\n
QB<\/p>\n
6-1<\/p>\n
225<\/p>\n
26<\/p>\n
4<\/p>\n
Liberty<\/p>\n
16<\/p>\n
Sean Clifford<\/p>\n
QB<\/p>\n
6-2<\/p>\n
218<\/p>\n
26<\/p>\n
2<\/p>\n
Penn State<\/p>\n
19<\/p>\n
Taylor Elgersma<\/p>\n
QB<\/p>\n
6-5<\/p>\n
227<\/p>\n
23<\/p>\n
R<\/p>\n
Wilfrid Laurier<\/p>\n
Burning Question |\u00a0How will Love keep all his passing-game targets happy?<\/p>\n
While the selection of Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay was the story of the offseason \u2014 after all, it\u2019d been 23 years since the Packers had taken a wideout in Round 1 (Javon Walker) \u2014 the Packers still have a host of wide receivers and tight ends that have flashed their immense talent and potential over the last two years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And with those players competing not only for opportunities but for contracts, the Packers top returning wide receivers (Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks) and tight ends (Tucker Kraft, Luke Musgrave) are all going to want their targets.<\/p>\n
While it\u2019s up to LaFleur and his offensive staff to conjure up ways to spread the ball around, it\u2019ll be up to Love to read coverages and deal the ball to the open guy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s always the tricky part, trying to get everybody involved,\u201d Love acknowledged. \u201cBut we\u2019ve got a great group of guys. They all know what the main objective is that we\u2019re trying to get done here. And they know they\u2019re going to get those [opportunities] that are going to come their way.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome days, some guys might catch more passes than the other guys. That just might be the way it is. It\u2019s all predicated on what the defense is doing, trying to stop our offense. I always tell guys, \u2018I\u2019m going to try to find the guy who\u2019s open.\u2019 They all know that.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the rise |\u00a0Elgersma.<\/p>\n
The Packers were the most interested of any NFL team in the Canadian import, bringing him in for one of their 30 allotted pre-draft visits and scouting him at the Senior Bowl, where Packers offensive passing-game coordinator Jason Vrable was one of the coaches, as well as two other all-star games.<\/p>\n
Still, he\u2019s clearly a project, as his success north of the border doesn\u2019t necessarily portend NFL success.<\/p>\n
Playing for Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Elgersma completed 73.5 percent of his passes for 4,011 yards with 34 touchdowns and 10 interceptions as a senior, winning the Hec Crighton Award \u2014 the Canadian equivalent of the Heisman Trophy.<\/p>\n
The NFL is a vastly different ballgame, of course, but the coaches seem intrigued by his tools.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got a very live arm. We could see that on tape,\u201d LaFleur said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot to like about him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Player to watch |\u00a0Willis.<\/p>\n
The Packers went 3-0 in the games in which Willis played extensively \u2014 his starts against Indianapolis and Tennessee and his second-half relief effort at Jacksonville \u2014 making Gutekunst\u2019s decision to trade a seventh-round pick to the Titans at the end of training camp a brilliant one.<\/p>\n
After not really getting a fair shake in Nashville, Willis was a godsend in Green Bay, completing 74.1% of his passes for 550 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions (124.8 rating).<\/p>\n
While the Packers hope he won\u2019t be pressed into duty like he was last year, they know they\u2019ve got the right guy waiting in the wings if Love does go down with an injury.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Key competition |\u00a0No. 3 quarterback.<\/p>\n
While the Packers decided they weren\u2019t comfortable with Clifford being their No. 2 last year after he held down that backup spot in 2023 as a rookie fifth-round draft pick, Clifford spent the offseason working to improve everything about his game \u2014 from his footwork to his accuracy to his in-the-pocket movements.<\/p>\n
LaFleur didn\u2019t really consider starting Clifford last season after Love\u2019s knee injury, despite Willis\u2019 limited knowledge of the playbook heading into the Week 2 matchup with the Colts. This summer will be Clifford\u2019s opportunity to show the coaches how far he\u2019s coming since then \u2014 and fend off Elgersma for the No. 3 job.<\/p>\n
Bold prediction |\u00a0Love will be selected to his first Pro Bowl.<\/p>\n
Love may someday be an All-Pro or an MVP candidate, but last season, he finished 19th in passing yards (3,389), tied for 10th in touchdown passes (28), and 11th in passer rating (96.7).<\/p>\n
Rodgers actually went to the Pro Bowl in his second year as the starter in 2009, earning the NFC\u2019s third QBspot behind New Orleans\u2019 Drew Brees and Minnesota\u2019s Brett Favre.<\/p>\n
Rodgers, who threw for 4,434 with 30 touchdowns and only seven interceptions (103.2 rating) that season, wound up starting the Pro Bowl with Brees playing in the Super Bowl and Favre opting out \u2014 back when there was a game, of course.<\/p>\n
Next: Running backs.<\/p>\n
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