Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love has hovered around the edges of the NFL’s most prestigious individual award without ever quite crossing the threshold.
He has drawn praise for his efficiency and poise, yet the volume numbers that typically define MVP campaigns have remained just out of reach. That could change in 2026, according to Packers OnSI writer Bill Huber, who sees a confluence of circumstances that may finally push Love into the conversation in a meaningful way.
Huber argues that the statistical environment is aligning in Love’s favor.
“Statistically, Love could have a tremendous year – even an MVP-caliber year (he’s only 13th in the odds at FanDuel Sportsbook) – because some of the goal-line runs by Jacobs will become passes by Love,” Huber wrote.
The observation cuts to the heart of how Green Bay has operated under Matt LaFleur. The offense has long preferred to finish drives on the ground when Josh Jacobs was available, keeping Love’s attempt totals modest even when his completion percentage and decision-making were elite.
With Jacobs now on the commissioner’s exempt list and no established replacement behind him, those short-yardage opportunities are more likely to stay in the quarterback’s hands.
The rest of the supporting cast adds to the same trend. The Packers enter the season with questions at running back, some flux at tight end beyond Tucker Kraft, and a receiving group still rounding into form around Jayden Reed, Christian Watson and Matthew Golden.
At the same time, the defense will open the year without Micah Parsons. Huber notes that those defensive uncertainties could produce higher-scoring, more pass-heavy games in which Love is asked to throw 35 or 40 times. Combined with a healthier and more complete group of pass-catchers, that volume could produce career-high yardage and touchdown totals.
Love is entering his sixth NFL season and his fourth as the starter. His first full year under center in 2023 featured 579 attempts, a number that dropped into the low 400s the following two seasons as the team leaned more heavily on the run and a stout defense.
A return toward that earlier workload, paired with the growth he has shown as a passer, would give him the counting stats voters tend to reward. Efficiency has never been the issue; opportunity has.
None of this guarantees an MVP trophy. The award remains unpredictable, and Love will still have to outplay a crowded field of established stars. Yet the conditions Huber describes—fewer goal-line handoffs, a thinner backfield, and a defense that may force more passing—create a plausible path that simply did not exist in prior years.
For a quarterback who has already proven he can play at a high level when asked, the 2026 season may finally supply the volume needed to turn efficiency into hardware.
Be the first to comment