Packers GM: Final 10 Games ‘Very Important” For QB Jordan Love
Nov 2, 2023, 8:42 PM
Jordan Love #10 of the Green Bay Packers looks on during the first quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field on October 29, 2023 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said the final 10 games of the 2023 regular season will be “very important” in evaluating Jordan Love as the team’s starting quarterback.
Brian Gutekunst on evaluating Jordan Love
Gutekunst spoke to the media about the state of Packers and the former Utah State signal-caller on November 1.
“We’ve got 10 games left. It’s going to be a very important ten games,” Gutekunst said of Love. “I think he’s done a lot of really good things. I really like the way he’s responded to the adversity, how he’s led the team. We’ve got to get better as a unit, and I expect that to happen over the next 10 games. We’re going through some things that we knew we would go through. We haven’t had the results we want, but I do like the way guys are responding to things.”
Gutekunst was promoted to general manager of the Packers in 2018.
In 2020, he drafted Love out of Utah State as Green Bay’s successor to Aaron Rodgers.
RELATED: Packers Extend Former Utah State QB Jordan Love Through 2024 Season
Gutekunst said that the Packers still have “a lot of faith” in Love and that “when the group as a whole is not functioning the way it should function, it’s hard to evaluate anybody.”
“A little bit up and down, like our entire offense,” Gutekunst described Love’s play this season. “It’s been a work in progress for the entire offense. There’s been glimpses, particularly in the second halves, of really good football but we have not started very well. I think that unit as a whole has a lot of work to do, but at the same time, I think they’re committed to the process. I expect better results coming.”
This season, Love has thrown for 1,492 yards, 11 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He’s also run for 164 yards and two touchdowns.
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During the Love’s first two games of 2023, the former Aggie threw for six touchdowns and zero interceptions. Since then, he’s tossed five touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Love’s rating of 78.2 ranks 28th among quarterbacks to have played in at least a game this season.
The Packers currently own a 2-5 record.
Green Bay’s next game is at home against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, November 5 at 11 a.m. (MDT) on FOX.
About Jordan Love
Prior to his time in the league, the Bakersfield, California native played at USU from 2016-19. During his time with the Aggies, Love threw for 8,600 yards, 60 touchdowns, and 29 interceptions with a completion rate of 61 percent.
In 2020, the Packers traded up to select Love with the No. 26 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
Since then, Love has played sparingly while backing up Rodgers. During Love’s first two seasons in Green Bay, the young quarterback watched Rodgers win back-to-back NFL MVP awards.
.@jordan3love tosses his first touchdown pass since Week 4 to make it a one-score game.#LocalsInTheNFL #NFL #GBvsDEN #GoPackGo #AggiesAllTheWay @kslsports pic.twitter.com/7tRLjs2pg0
— Kyle Ireland (@kyleireland) October 22, 2023
Love was inactive for every game of his rookie campaign. However, in 2021 and 2022, the signal-caller saw his first playing time, including a start against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Although Love’s in-game experience has been limited, he’s shown flashes of the potential that made him a first-round pick. He, like Rodgers with Brett Favre, had the chance to sit behind an all-time great and watch how the quarterback position is played at the highest level. Love patiently waited for his opportunity to start.
In April, the Packers traded Rodgers to the New York Jets. Green Bay also inked Love to a new deal. The former Aggie signed a contract extension that keeps him tied to the Packers for the next two seasons. The new deal let Green Bay keep Love an additional season without having to pick up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract.
.@jordan3love is dealing right now.
The former USU QB records a hat trick with his third touchdown pass of the afternoon. 🎩🎩🎩#LocalsInTheNFL #NFL #GoPackGo #GBvsATL #AggiesAllTheWay @kslsports pic.twitter.com/O3mDjc1FVf
— Kyle Ireland (@kyleireland) September 17, 2023
Now as QB1, the Packers have the chance to see Love as a starter without Rodgers in Green Bay. The opportunity will allow Green Bay to evaluate Love in a greater role before deciding on a longer-term deal.
Prior to the 2023 season, Love had thrown for 606 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions with a 60.2 percent completion rate in 10 games played.
Kyle Ireland is a Sports Producer and Locals in the NFL Insider for KSLSports.com. He’s also co-host of the Yards After College Podcast. Follow him on X/Twitter (@kyleireland), Instagram (@kyleirelandksl), and Threads (@kyleirelandksl).
