Packers' Jordan Love reveals truth about Aaron Rodgers relationship and why he won’t try to be like Steelers' QB

Jordan Love is gearing up for perhaps the most important season of his NFL career. After signing a four-year, $220 million extension last offseason, the Green Bay Packers quarterback now carries the weight of the franchise — and the expectation that he can do what the last two Packers legends did: win a Super Bowl.

But for Love, the challenge isn’t just about winning games. It’s about living in the shadow of Aaron Rodgers, the future Hall of Famer he spent two seasons backing up in Green Bay.

“I don’t think it really set in for me until I started doing interviews, and every question was basically, ‘What about Aaron?’” Love revealed in a tell-all piece for The Players’ Tribune.

“But before me and Aaron could even talk, the narrative was rolling. And it’s so crazy to me, because from the jump, Aaron was great with me. He laid out how he was in my same situation, and that he wanted to make sure there was no hostility. I told him I just wanted to learn and soak it all in.”

The narrative, of course, mirrored history. Just as the Packers drafted Rodgers 24th overall in 2005 to eventually replace Brett Favre, Love became the 26th overall pick in 2020 — sparking questions about Rodgers’ future. Rodgers sat for three seasons before Favre was traded to the New York Jets, a path Rodgers himself would follow years later.

“I mean, I’d been a QB2 for a lot of my life. For me, it was nothing new. It was perfect, actually,” Love explained. “Think about it: you’re coming into this league at 21 years old. It’s a different world. I’m not even talking about just football. You have to be able to command a room and know how to talk to different guys, how to motivate them — what to say, what not to say. I got to watch Aaron and how he handled those situations, and that was invaluable.”

Love said his time on the bench, simply absorbing everything he could from the sidelines, shaped his career.

“In college, you’re just playing. In the NFL, you have to be manipulating. I learned that from Aaron,” Love said.

But as he prepares for 2025, Love knows he can’t be Rodgers — and he doesn’t want to be.

“I’m not Aaron Rodgers. I’m not a guy with a five-star pedigree. I’m my own man with my own story, and I want to make my own mark on this franchise. I want to write my own chapter here, following in the footsteps of the legends who wore this G before me.”