The Green Bay Packers have named quarterback Jordan Love one of five season-long captains for 2026, a choice that underscores how fully the former first-round pick has settled into the role of franchise face.
Love will share the offensive captaincy with tight end Tucker Kraft, while safety Xavier McKinney and linebacker Zaire Franklin represent the defense and linebacker Isaiah McDuffie handles special teams.
Four of the five, including Love, wore the “C” last season as well.
That continuity matters. After two years of rotating weekly captains in 2023 and 2024, the Packers returned last fall to a more traditional model of season-long leaders. Love’s second consecutive selection as an offensive captain is less a surprise than a statement.
Since taking over as starter in 2023, he has become the locker-room constant teammates describe as steady rather than loud, the player others lean on for energy and consistency. Teammates have pointed to his poise under pressure and his habit of pulling others along with him as the traits that make the captaincy a natural fit rather than an extra title.
The honor arrives as Love enters another season carrying the weight that comes with following Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. He has already led the Packers to multiple playoff appearances and posted one of his strongest statistical years in 2025.
The captain’s patch on his jersey is public confirmation of something coaches and teammates have said privately for some time: the offense now runs through him not only on Sundays but in the building during the week.
Franklin’s inclusion as a first-year Packer adds an interesting contrast. The veteran linebacker arrived via trade after six straight seasons as a captain in Indianapolis and immediately earned the same trust in Green Bay. Kraft, McKinney, and McDuffie return as holdovers from last year’s group, giving the leadership council a mix of established voices and one proven outsider.
Together, they replace a larger 2025 captain group that included players no longer on the roster.
For Love, the distinction is both ceremonial and practical. Captains set the standard in meetings, on the practice field, and in how the team handles the grind of a long season.
Naming the quarterback again signals that the Packers believe he has already been doing that work.
As Green Bay prepares to open the season on the road against the Minnesota Vikings, the “C” on Love’s chest is a reminder that the organization sees him not just as the starter, but as one of the people responsible for holding everyone else to the same standard he has set for himself.
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