The Packers need Jordan Love to step it up and prove that he's worth the franchise quarterback payday they gave him.
Jordan Love has been paid like a franchise quarterback by the Green Bay Packers. Even in the NFL though, where a big contract often guarantees you playing time, that doesn't mean Love's status as “the future” in Green Bay is guaranteed.
In fact, one could make the argument that nothing is guaranteed for Love, especially in a place like Green Bay. This is the same franchise that traded both Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers — with seven NFL MVP's between them —when it was sensed that they were no longer worth their weight in cheese curds.
The Packers have a long history of moving on from players early rather than doing so late, so in no way does Love's four-year, $220 million dollar contract ensure that Love is Green Bay's franchise quarterback through 2028, when it runs out.
With the way he's playing right now, it certainly doesn't guarantee him a future past 2028. There will be tough conversations in Green Bay if Love isn't able to make three important changes to his game over the rest of the 2024 season.
Jordan Love needs to stop throwing terrible interceptions
There was a running joke over the first few weeks of the season that Love was a scientific mixture between Favre and Rodgers, but he had a bit more of Favre “the gunslinger” in him than Rodgers, who was famously protective of the football. That gag came along when Love sported Favre's jersey in a pregame, but it was also a product of his play.
He threw 13 touchdowns over his first five games played (he missed two with an MCL injury) but he also threw eight interceptions. He made some incredible plays in which he threw the football like a prime Patrick Mahomes, and he also tried to fit the football into some windows that were unadvisable.
That was fine and dandy when the touchdowns were a thing, but Love hasn't thrown a touchdown in two games and he threw yet another pick-six against the Detroit Lions in Week 9. Not only was it his second pick-six of the season, but it was arguably one of the worst decisions you'll ever see on a football field.
The last time a Packers quarterback threw multiple interceptions returned for a touchdown over the first nine games of a season was in 2001. Yes, it was Favre who did it, but he was also three MVP's deep at that point.
Being a “gunslinger” and trying to fit the football into legitimate windows is one thing. Making boneheaded plays with the football and not showing any indication of being able to protect it is another, though, and that's been a huge problem for Love.
“It's definitely disappointing. Putting the ball in jeopardy way too many times and definitely something I have to clean up,” Love said after the loss to the Lions, per ESPN. “I've talked about it week after week, so something I've just got to learn from these mistakes and clean it up. But definitely something that I'm gonna make a big focus on going forward, of just finding ways to take care of the ball better.”
Love needs to read the situation better
The Packers were down 10-3 with under a minute left in the first half against the Lions when Love threw the pick-six to make it 17-3. It was second-and-two from the Green Bay 38 when he threw that pick, and to make it worse, the Lions got the ball back after halftime and scored a touchdown to make it 24-3.
Love's interception basically sealed the game before halftime, especially considering the conditions, but there was no reason he should have ever thrown that ball to even allow that type of point swing.
First of all, even if he was sacked, the Packers would have had a third down to work with. Love should have eaten that sack rather than try to throw a desperation pass to running back Josh Jacobs while he was being tackled. Worse case scenario, the Packers punt it away after third down and the Lions likely never score before halftime.
A second instance of Love being unable to read the situation came early in the fourth with the Pack down, 24-6. Green Bay had a second-and-one from the Detroit nine and facing pressure, Love scrambled to his right and nearly threw another interception while trying to make a play. No matter what happened after that — the Packers turned it over on downs — Love almost threw another disastrous interception when the smart play would have been to simply throw the ball out of bounds and then try again on third-and-one.
The interceptions have been concerning, but the obvious lack of situational awareness has to have Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur ripping out his perfectly manicured hair. Let's not forget how this whole pix-six trend started, when Love threw the most ill-advised pass from own his end zone, perhaps ever.
Sure, it happens once or twice in a career, but multiple times in a season? The Packers have a big problem on their hands if this is who Love is four seasons into his NFL career. Sure, it's only his second season as the starter, but he's making rookie decisions in big moments and if it continues, it will keep costing the Packers in what they believe should be a Super Bowl window.
