For many onlookers, the 2023 season is a reset year for the Green Bay Packers. They have made some major changes to their roster, none bigger than Jordan Love taking over as the starting quarterback after Aaron Rodgers was traded to the New York Jets.
The end of the Rodgers era means the beginning of the Jordan Love era, as his Packers career is starting similarly to how Rodgers’ did. Rodgers was a late first-round draft pick, like Love, who had to sit behind a future Hall of Famer in Brett Favre for three seasons before he was traded to the Jets.
Having only made 10 appearances in the first three seasons of his professional career, with one start, it is anyone’s guess how Jordan Love will handle the pressure that comes along with being the starting quarterback for the Packers. However, people within the organization aren’t too worried about it.
In fact, there is a lot of optimism that Jordan Love is going to hit the ground running in 2023. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, there is a quiet confidence among people within the Packers organization about the amount of success that he is going to have replacing Rodgers.
“Love has made steady progress backing up Aaron Rodgers; watching him, observing, learning. I think there’s a real quiet confidence about the level of success that he’s going to have this year,” Schefter reported.
“Think about where they took him. Think about the glimpses of talent he did show in the spot duty when he was called upon to replace Aaron Rodgers those couple of times when Aaron Rodgers didn’t play. And I think the players have extreme confidence in Jordan Love right now,” Shefter continued. “I don’t want to say he’s going to be the next Hall of Fame quarterback, but I think that they have some real belief that he’s going to play at a high level and keep this team competitive.”
Confidence in Jordan Love has been the sentiment exuded by his teammates that have spoken about him as well. Defensive tackle Kenny Clark has spoken about how excited he is to see the Utah State product on the field. Running back AJ Dillon has also shared that the locker room trusts Jordan Love and he has already earned the respect of his teammates.
Being around the organization for as long as Jordan Love has been, it isn’t too surprising that teammates have taken to his leadership so quickly. He isn’t a brand new rookie or someone coming from another organization; he is entering Year 4 in Green Bay and he knows what is expected of him.
Can Jordan Love now turn that confidence into production on the field? It is something we will have to wait and see about, but the Packers have done everything they could to prepare him for this moment. Now, it is up to him to make the most of the opportunity.