Jordan Love spent his first three seasons in Green Bay sitting behind Aaron Rodgers (Getty Images)
Jordan Love sat on the Green Bay Packers’ bench for three seasons after being drafted in the first round — just as his predecessor, Aaron Rodgers, did. Ultimately, he believes that period helped him greatly, as evidenced by his success when he inherited the starting job in 2023 — throwing for over 4,000 yards and orchestrating the first-ever playoff win by a seventh-seeded team.
Speaking Wednesday on Rich Eisen’s eponymous show, Love said (0:31 to start in the video below):
“I do believe, for sure, that having those three years to sit behind a legend like Aaron Rodgers, just watching him work, learning and picking his brain, definitely helped me so much.”
Jordan Love also offered advice to Michael Penix Jr., who was promoted to starter by the Atlanta Falcons on Tuesday:
“I tell people all the time, ‘If I was to start my rookie year, things would look a lot different,’ just from the amount of things that’s on your plate as a rookie quarterback, trying to learn all this new stuff that you really don’t have time to grow.”
Jordan Love discusses mindset as Packers look to clinch playoff spot vs. Saints
This Monday, Jordan Love and the Packers host the faltering New Orleans Saints with a playoff spot at stake. The best-case scenario is that if they win, they are automatically in. And that seems like an achievable task, especially coming off a 30-13 win over the Seattle Seahawks.
Even if they lose, they can still get in if the Atlanta Falcons lose to the New York Giants and either the LA Rams lose to the New York Jets or the Seahawks lose to the Minnesota Vikings.
Still, Love is not taking any chances. In that same podcast appearance, he said (2:48 mark):
“I think the experience is beneficial, but it’s a new year and we have a new team. I try to go out every game and just be the best QB I could be for this team. It all starts with taking care of the ball.”
When asked how he could manage that, Jordan Love responded:
“It’s all focus every play, understanding what the defenses look, trying to pucture where I might be going with the ball and posting that, letting it play out, trusting my instincts, my ability and being confident in every throw, but at the same time weighing in those decisions on the fly.”
Kickoff for the Saints game is at 7:15 p.m. CT on ABC/ESPN. Additionally, viewers in the New Orleans area can watch the game on WGNO, ABC’s affiliate there.