Jordan Love‘s rise over the last year has been nothing short of meteoric. After not showing much of anything through his first three NFL seasons, Love took the reins as the Green Bay Packers starting quarterback in 2023 and delivered a truly unforeseen season.
Love looked more polished than he ever has, combining that with his incredible arm talent and solid athleticism. He led the team to the second round of the playoffs, and parlayed that into a massive four-year, $220 million extension that has made him the highest-earning player in the league – alongside Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence.
Aaron Rodgers intense argument with Jets WR Garrett Wilson
Jordan Love believes sitting behind Aaron Rodgers was crucial for his development
It was a long road that took patience for Love, who had to sit behind Aaron Rodgers for three years. But in a recent interview, Love actually thanked Rodgers for how it all played out.
I think leaving college it’s a humbling experience. You think you’re the man, you think you got it… you get to the NFL, I’m in the room with Aaron Rodgers, one of the best to do it. And it’s a very humbling experience to be able to see: ‘all right, I don’t know anything’… I really had to start from square one, I learned so much my rookie year. If I was to start my rookie year, who knows where I’d be right now.
Love was drafted 26th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, a selection that was panned by a lot of fans and pundits at the time. Rodgers was coming off of yet another Pro Bowl season at age 36 and didn’t seem to be slowing down – evidenced by back-to-back MVP seasons immediately after they drafted Love.
But Love clearly used that time sitting behind Rodgers to learn from him, stack mental and physical reps in practice, and become the borderline elite quarterback he showed to be in 2023. The key will be doing it consistently from now on.
