Two days after the Packers lost to the Eagles in the wild-card round of the playoffs, Matt LaFleur said the next step for Jordan Love was to “evolve as a vocal leader.”
Four months later, LaFleur likes what he sees. And it doesn’t stop there.
On Wednesday, after the first OTA practice of the spring, LaFleur was ready to challenge anyone who thought Love regressed last season in Year 2 as the starter.
“I think there’s like a narrative out there for whatever reason that he wasn’t as productive as the year before,” LaFleur said. “Well, he missed significant time.”
That time came early, when Love sprained his left MCL in the season opener and had a lasting impact. Even when he returned after missing two games, Love’s mobility was limited, which in turn limited his footwork and accuracy. Just when Love seemed mostly recovered from the knee injury, a groin injury took him out of the second half of the Week 8 game against the Jaguars.
Still, the Packers went 11-6, two wins more than Love’s first season as the starter. During that 2023 run, he was praised for a hot streak to close the season, when he threw 18 touchdowns and one interception over the final eight games, and then blowed the doors off the Cowboys in the playoff opener only to lose in the final seconds of the next round to the 49ers.
But there was the perception the Packers — and Love — took a step back last season after they failed to get out of the first round of the playoffs.
“I mean, what is a step back is what I’d ask?” Love said. “You know what I mean? Everybody has different opinions, things like that. You gotta block that stuff out. It’s all about the goals of the team at the end of the day. I’d say we won more games than we did the year before. That’s why I ask people, ‘What is a step back?’”
The Narrative of Regression: Fact or Fiction?
He’s not buying it. LaFleur isn’t buying that Love regressed.
He pointed to the injuries as the reason for Love’s performance last season. The missed time affected his rhythm, footwork, and timing with receivers.
But the Packers still won, and Love showed improvement late in the season. His accuracy dipped slightly from 64.2% in 2023 to 63.1% in 2024 but that could be because of the number of dropped passes by the offense (the Packers had the highest drop rate in the NFL).
In fact, Love’s off target percentage actually went down from 16.1% in 2023 to 14.4% in 2024 so he was more accurate despite the challenges.
Focus on Leadership and Growth
Instead of dwelling on the past, Love is looking ahead. A new position coach from former NFL quarterback Sean Mannion hasn’t changed the focus for Love’s offseason work.
“Just trying to be as consistent as possible with accuracy, ball placement, things like that, the timing of my feet, timing up with the routes, trying to marry all that stuff up,” Love said when asked what he’s working on this offseason.
And then there’s the leadership development.
“He’s played a lot of ball and along with that has gained a lot of confidence,” LaFleur said. “I think he’s certainly comfortable in helping lead others and telling them what to do. He’s a coach on the field. He knows this offense as well as anybody in regards to the details and what we’re trying to get accomplished. And I think he articulates that well to the other players.”
Calm Under Fire
Love’s even keel has also been praised by teammates.
Receiver Jayden Reed said he appreciates Love’s composure.
“He’s probably one of those most calm quarterbacks I’ve ever been around, in my opinion,” Reed said. “He’s so poised in the huddle, whether we’re going through adversity or anything, he’s the same person. He’s always calm, he’s cool, collected. I think he does a great job, we’ve just got to help him, rally around him, and just be better for him.”
And Love knows a phony or out of character approach can get exposed as fake in an NFL locker room.
“I think at the end of the day, with leadership and speaking vocally to guys, you’ve got to be yourself,” Love said. “You never want to be forcing things or sound like a message isn’t coming from you, it’s coming from somebody else. It’s always trying to find that balance of being yourself.
“But I think that the biggest thing is just having those hard conversations with guys when something needs to get done and it might not be getting done the right way.”
Why the Packers Believe in Love?
While Love faced his share of struggles in 2024, the coaching staff and teammates are confident in him. He is working on all that, and they’re not budging.
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