3 reasons why drafting Jordan Love was a mistake for the Green Bay Packers

So far, it appears as though the Green Bay Packers have made one of the worst decisions in NFL history by drafting quarterback Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Of course, it is not Love's fault that he was drafted by Green Bay. He was and is a talented, young player.

But this is about respecting what the Packers have in legendary quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who might be on the way out of Green Bay. According to Rodgers himself on The Pat McAfee Show last week, his intention is to play for the New York Jets next season.

The Packers, more specifically, their front office, cost the team a chance at making the Super Bowl because they selected a player with a first-round pick who would essentially be a backup for three seasons.

They chose to draft a backup quarterback when they didn't even need to. There are talented, young propsects that come out of the NFL Draft every single year. The Packers got too excited and cost themselves a shot at bringing the Vince Lombardi Trophy home. Here are the three reasons why drafting Jordan Love was a terrible error on their part:

#1 - Aaron Rodgers was already there

The only reason Green Bay would want to draft a replacement for Aaron Rodgers is because some thought that his play was in decline. If 26 passing touchdowns, four interceptions and over 4,000 yards passing is a sign of decline in the first season with a new head coach, then the NFL needs to learn some patience. Not only did Aaron Rodgers have another Pro Bowl year, he helped lead the Packers to the NFC Championship Game. Of course, they would go on to lose that game to the 49ers in January of 2020.

That following April, GM Brian Gutekunst would select Love in the first round of the NFL Draft. Why would the Packers feel the need to draft a player who would not play for the next few seasons at the very least? Why would the Packers feel the need to draft a replacement for their first-ballot Hall of Fame signal-caller when quarterback was clearly not a position of need? It doesn't make a ton of sense.

Aaron Rodgers being Aaron Rodgers would go onto have two consecutive MVP seasons in which he had a combined touchdown-to-interception ratio of 85-9. That is the definition of dominant. Rodgers was never in decline, which makes the pick even more confusing.

#2 - The Packers needed help at wide receiver

The position that the Packers needed to address was the wide receiver position. Yes, Davante Adams was there (coming off his third Pro Bowl appearance). Yes, Marquez Valdes-Scantling was still there (he would go on to lead the NFL in yards-per-catch with an average of 20.9). Yes, Allen Lazard had emerged as a reliable threat. But, there wasn't much else behind that.

Green Bay needed to add one more talent at wide receiver for Rodgers. Tee Higgins, Michael Pittman Jr. and Chase Claypool were all available for Green Bay to take. The Packers finished 2019 at 18th in the NFL in total offense, according to Pro Football Reference. They, for some reason, felt like the quarterback was the issue.

That would eventually come back to bite them because they would go on to have two more 13-win seasons in 2020 and 2021 but lost before they could get to the Super Bowl. They lost to two elite defenses in the 2020 Buccaneers and the 2021 49ers. The offensive core simply was not good enough, despite having the back-to-back MVP in Rodgers. Perhaps another talented wide receiver could have helped this team get over the hump and into the Super Bowl.

#3 - Green Bay is now kicking Rodgers out the door too soon

Again, Rodgers has stated that his desire is to get traded to the New York Jets. Rodgers has made this decision because he feels that Green Bay is ready to move on. Green Bay wants to move on because they feel Jordan Love is ready to be the starting quarterback, according to ESPN's Rob Demovsky.

The Packers still have a very good roster, but the problem now is that it will be very hard to envision a scenario in which the Packers are better this season with Love than they would be with Rodgers, considering No. 12 is the four-time MVP. The roster is still comprised of talented veterans like Pro Bowl running back Aaron Jones, All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari and shutdown cornerback Jaire Alexander. Love's inexperience, however, could set everything back.

A path to the playoffs seems relatively easier for both a healthy Aaron Rodgers and the Packers as opposed to both parties cutting ties and trying to make the playoffs without each other. Jordan Love would be starting for the first time in full capacity, and Aaron Rodgers would presumably move to a very difficult division in the AFC East. This Packers team is still a Super Bowl contender with Rodgers because of his abilities and the quality players who are left on the roster. Plus, they have over $24M in cap space, according to Spotrac. They could still make a couple of key moves that they haven't made in the past. What about trading for DeAndre Hopkins or signing Odell Beckham Jr? Oh, wait. This is the Green Bay Packers. They don't help out their starting quarterbacks. At least, not in the last 15 years.

This is all because of the Jordan Love draft pick. Not Jordan Love himself. It's the pick. The franchise is saying goodbye to arguably the greatest player in their history because they drafted a player, in the first round, who wouldn't end up playing for another three years. This team could have won a Super Bowl in those three years if they had properly surrounded Aaron Rodgers with more talent. That includes drafting immediate, impactful wide receivers in the first round of the NFL Draft. But they didn't. That is why this is one of the worst picks in NFL history...for now.