Quarterback Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers in practice at the Don Hutson Center in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin, May 31, 2023. /CFP
The Green Bay Packers will take "half a season" to see how their newly promoted quarterback (QB) Jordan Love performs before deciding his role in the team, Packers' President Mark Murphy said on Monday.
The Packers drafted Love with the No. 26 pick in 2020, which reportedly made their ace QB Aaron Rodgers nervous. Rodgers asked the team to trade him during the offseason this year, and he was sent to the New York Jets, per his request.
Love made 10 appearances and started once for the Packers in the past three seasons, completing 50 of 83 passes for 606 yards and three touchdowns. From the 2023 season, he won't play backup for Rodgers but as the starting QB of the team.
"I'm comparing it a little bit to Aaron's first year as a starter, yeah, I'd say at least half a season to know," Murphy said of Love. "And I think even though we ended up with a losing record that year, we saw enough of Aaron to know that we had something special."
Quarterback Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers warms up ahead of the game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, December 25, 2022. /CFP
Rodgers became the Packers' starting QB in the 2008 season, throwing 341-for-536 to produce 4,038 yards and 28 touchdowns with 13 interceptions. The team finished the regular season with a 6-10 record and failed to reach the playoffs.
"He (general manager Brian Gutekunst) was highly criticized when he drafted Jordan Love," Murphy said. "That draft, though, now put us in a position where we feel we can be competitive in the long term."
The Packers received this year's No. 13 pick via the Rodgers trade and selected outside linebacker Lukas Van Ness with it. Meanwhile, they didn't re-sign wide receivers Randall Cobb and Allen Lazard and tight ends Marcedes Lewis and Robert Tonyan. As a result, some worry that the team has hurt their depth.
"I think that's one of the reasons people are excited because there's, I don't know if I'd call it uncertainty, but we're a much different team than we were last year," Murphy said. "We'll be younger, but I'm optimistic. I obviously have a lot of confidence in Matt. I think our defense probably will have to carry us a little bit in the early season."