The Green Bay Packers drafted Jordan Love in 2020 to ultimately replace Aaron Rodgers at quarterback.
The only problem was that Rodgers was nowhere near done.
He won the NFL MVP for the 2020 season and, after some drama, is back in 2021 to lead his team.
That leaves Love in quite the awkward situation.
Things got off to a quiet start for the 2020 first-round pick because COVID canceled the preseason in his rookie year.
And of course, he did not get a shot to play in the regular season due to Rodgers playing at an elite level.
Some fans may have thought 2021 was Love’s time to shine, but then Rodgers and the Packers figured things out.
That leaves 2022 as his potential time to finally start.
Yet he did get a start over the weekend, in some preseason action against the Houston Texans.
He showed some flashes of success and most importantly just got some time on the field.
A thing of beauty from Jordan Love 🏈
(via @thecheckdown)pic.twitter.com/TCyRnnHvQf
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 15, 2021
Finally Seeing The First-Round QB
The only way for Love to develop and prove what he can do is to get reps in game action.
He did just that Saturday, finishing 12/17 with 122 yards and a touchdown.
The touchdown pass was on a screen, but a score is a score.
Jordan Love in his NFL preseason debut:
❇️ 12-17 Comp/Att
❇️ 122 Pass Yards
❇️ 1 TD pic.twitter.com/w7BJFBY3W1— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) August 15, 2021
This preseason is going to be all about Love with Rodgers hanging out on the sidelines and staying healthy for the games that count.
This is fantastic news for Love and the entire Packers organization.
It would appear a split between Rodgers and the team is coming up after the 2021 season.
But let’s say the two sides work something out and he sticks around.
Love getting some playing time even boosts his value in any trade talks.
The Packers drafting Love, sitting him, and trading him only to lose Rodgers anyway would be some truly mind-boggling management.
But the point remains that getting Love on the field allows everyone to see what he can do.
Using a first-round pick on Love at a time when the Packers could have spent it on literally any other position of actual need shows how highly he is viewed by those in charge in Green Bay.
So at some point he should get a chance to prove himself.
Fans must remember it took years for Rodgers to get off the bench, only to become a superstar.
Those in Green Bay are hoping the ugly history currently repeating itself leads to the same final outcome.
Rodgers leading the team to a Super Bowl and riding off into the sunset would be a better ending than what happened with Brett Favre when this all happened the first time.
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