The Jordan Love Era Has Arrived

After three years honing his craft, it is Jordan Love’s time to replace Aaron Rodgers and lead a “billion-dollar corporation.” Is he ready?

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Jordan Love is the Green Bay Packers’ new starting quarterback.

What a deep and powerful sentence that must be for Love to be considering with the inevitability of Aaron Rodgers being traded to the New York Jets.

In 2008, Rodgers grappled with all the emotions Love is feeling now.

“You don’t know you’re ready until you’re in that position,” Rodgers said after the season-ending loss to Detroit. “I remember the day I was sleeping in San Diego and woke up to 50 text messages that Brett (Favre) had retired. Then the emotions hit you. ‘Oh, man, now I’m the guy.’”

With Rodgers making public his desire to be traded to the Jets on Wednesday on The Pat McAfee Show, Love is the guy. The undisputed guy. Drafted in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, he has toiled for three seasons behind Rodgers, just like Rodgers worked for three years behind Favre.

The totality of the work is why the Packers are on the verge of doing what might have seemed unthinkable 12 months ago and trading the legendary Rodgers after he played one year of a three-year, $150 million contract. The Packers gave him that monster contract because he was considered the best option to win games. He’d still be the Packers’ quarterback if the team didn’t think Love was at least capable of keeping the team competitive.

“He definitely needs to play,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said at the Scouting Combine. “I think that’s the next step in his progression. I think he’s ready for that. Not every quarterback comes into this league ready to go out there and play. I think he needed a little time but, over the last year-and-a-half or so, we’ve seen that’s the next step in his progression. He needs to go out and play.”

As Packers President Mark Murphy said last week: “We have a lot of confidence in him. We drafted him and developed him. A lot of credit goes to our coaches and to Jordan. We do think he’s ready.”

Even Rodgers said Love is ready.

“He’s going to be a great player,” Rodgers told McAfee.

So, ready or not, the Jordan Love Era is here.