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Jordan Love's NFL career is not panning out the way he would have imagined it. The Green Bay Packers' first preseason game further brought this fact home.
The game against the San Francisco 49ers saw Love playing the entire first-half, taking a total of 46 snaps. It was far from a routine outing.
The Utah State alum threw one touchdown and three interceptions as Green Bay lost 28-21 to the Niners. Two of those interceptions deflected off the hands of his receivers, the other had the hallmarks of a busted play. Needless to say, it will be seen as another opportunity missed by Love.
The Packers made Love their first-round selection in the 2020 NFL Draft. To say that the NFL community was taken by surprise would be an understatement.
If your offense is run by Aaron Rodgers, arguably the best quarterback in the league, why on earth would you need to draft a first-round replacement? That's the question everyone was asking on the night, and over two years later, they are still waiting for a suitable answer.
If it was some form of reverse psychology on Green Bay's part, then it worked. Rodgers has gone on to win back-to-back MVP awards, playing some of the finest football of his career.
Meanwhile, Love has stood watching from the sidelines, waiting for a chance to prove his worth. Those opportunities have been few and far between, but when he does make it onto the field, he is automatically compared to Rodgers, so no pressure then.
As expected, Love faced a torrent of criticism on social media. Below is a selection of tweets than unhappy fans targeted him with:
However, there was some support for Jordan Love:
Why did Green Bay draft Jordan Love?
When the Packers used their 24th overall pick on Jordan Love, there was a sense of genuine disbelief. But that was not universal, and some analysts argued that Green Bay had a clear plan.
There was uncertainty about the future of Aaron Rodgers. Would be retire? Or even try to force a trade? It was said in a whisper, but some NFL experts even believed that he was on the slide and no longer elite.
This was also a road that the Packers had traveled before, with Rodgers and his predecessor, Brett Favre. Rodgers was drafted to sit behind Favre and soak up the knowledge from the learning tree, which he duly did over multiple seasons.
It was a tried and tested formula that has proven successful for the franchise in the past. So why not adopt a similar approach again? But analysts were quick to point out certain flaws in the Packers' plan. Firstly, Jordan Love is not Aaron Rodgers. Secondly, Rodgers clearly had more left in the tank than Green Bay thought.
Rodgers has just signed a new contract, making him the highest paid player in the NFL. The Packers will have to decide whether to exercise an expensive fifth-year option on their back-up QB.
If they choose not to, Love will be free to walk at the end of the 2023 season, with Green Bay none the wiser as to whether he could have been their future quarterback.
