What Do We Expect from Jordan Love in 2022 and Beyond?

Jordan Love won’t be the story of the 2022 season, but he represents an interesting subplot for the Packers this year and beyond. Big decisions on Love’s future are closer than you might think, and how he plays this preseason, in the regular season, and in years to come will have big repercussions for the team.

Jordan Love needs to show improvement in the preseason

Love’s preseason work has been spotty so far, but it’s not entirely his fault. He was denied the chance to appear in any preseason games in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and a nagging injury slowed him last year.

But with Aaron Rodgers away from Green Bay for most of the past two offseasons, the time for excuses has run out, regardless of the extenuating circumstances. Injuries notwithstanding, Love has gotten extensive work as what amounts to the Packers’ starting quarterback during offseason activities. It’s time for him to show what that work has been worth, and he can do it in two big ways.

The first is by demonstrating improved footwork. Love’s physical tools let him play fast and loose with the fundamentals in college, and his arm talent helped bail him out of situations that normally would have been a problem. In addition to some issues with his throwing mechanics, his footwork was a consistent issue at Utah State. He frequently threw from a bad base and over-stepped on some of his throws, which led to accuracy issues.

So far, he’s been much the same in the NFL, but both he and Aaron Rodgers have said that his footwork has been better in training camp. Love needs to show he’s put the bad footwork behind him this year.

He also needs to do a better job of elevating the teammates around him. It’s true that it’s unfair to Love that he’ll play with what amounts to the Packers’ JV squad when he’s on the field. The preseason is the only time he’ll see extending playing time (we hope) and he’ll be out there with a bunch of second stringers and guys who may not be in the NFL in a month.

But them’s the breaks as a backup quarterback. It’s on Love to make that unit into something more than the sum of its parts. Elevating a less-than-stellar supporting cast would be a great way to show how far he’s come.

Jordan Love needs to look the part in the regular season

When it comes to the regular season, my honest hope is that we’ll never see Jordan Love unless it's in a situation where the Packers have locked up home-field advantage in the playoffs (for all the good that’s done). 

But if he does get into a regular season game that matters, I’m looking for three things: command, consistency, and authority.

In his limited playing time in 2021, Love rarely looked like he was in command of the offense. I’ve criticized Matt LaFleur for appearing to try to run the Aaron Rodgers version of the Packers’ offense through Jordan Love in the Kansas City Chiefs game, but even with that criticism in mind, it’s hard to say Love looked like he was on top of what was going on. The same was true in the Lions’ game.

If he’s on the field in 2022 in a meaningful capacity in 2022, I want him to look in command of the Packers’ offense, whether it’s a package suited to his strengths or their more typical attack.

I’d also like to see more down-to-down consistency. In that Chiefs game, there were a few throws where Love showed some of the talent that made him a first-round pick. Love led a long drive to start the fourth quarter that showcased some quick decision-making, accurate delivery, and even some arm strength. He strung together a long series of positive plays — and then threw a bad pick to scuttle the drive and ultimately end the Packers’ chances of a serious rally.

Still, if he did it then, he can do it again. Building those kinds of drives (preferably not ending with interceptions) will be a big step in his development.

Finally, Love needs to act like he belongs on the field. Policing body language is a fraught proposition, but I’ll indulge for a second here. Love reads as a guy who’s been thrust under a spotlight not of his own making. That’s understandable because it’s basically a summary of his NFL career to date. But the spotlight is there, so he might as well embrace it.

Whatever Love’s version of the Aaron Rodgers belt celebration is, he needs it. Rodgers created that out of a desire to treat practice reps like his own personal Super Bowl. A little fire from Love could help!

Jordan Love’s future is in doubt, but likely in Green Bay

As to Love’s future, it’s probably going to be in Green Bay for the duration of his rookie deal — however long that ends up being. I’ve previously opined on the idea of trading Love, but I’m here to walk back from that a bit. I don’t think it’s likely he’s traded any more, if it ever was. At this point, unless somebody knocks their socks off, there’s really no reason for the Packers to move on.

Love’s contract is eminently affordable this year and for 2023, giving them little reason to move on before then. If he’s around, you might as well ride things out and have a toolsy backup quarterback you can continue to develop. 

Things get trickier when you start to consider his fifth-year option. The Packers have to decide on his option next spring, but I see no reason not to do it. I think you pick up the option and then see what Aaron Rodgers decides. If he’s going to be around for 2024, trade Love then and bottom out after Rodgers calls it quits. You’ll have plenty of chances to get an elite quarterback drafting in the top five. 

That’s overly glib, but it really does feel like the window for trading Love has passed. Keep him around and decide later. Even his fifth year option likely won’t be bank-breaking, and if Rodgers does call it quits before 2024, Love’s salary is worth the flier. If he’s good, you have a good young QB under your control for a while. If not, you’re in the same position you would have been if you bottom out post-Rodgers.