I’ve read all the posts and I’ve heard all the grumblings. After Game 1 of the Preseason vs the 49ers, every arm-chair GM had something to say about Jordan Love. It’s not really a surprise. The Green Bay Packers 2020 1st round pick has been under a microscope since the moment he was drafted. The young QB is entering his 3rd season, but only his second preseason, so really, is this Preseason Do or Die for Jordan Love?

Whenever Jordan Love makes a great throw during practice, GM Brian Gutekunst probably does his best Jedi Master, Qui Gon Jinn impression saying, “He is the chosen one, you must see it.” But whether or not Jordan Love will truly bring balance to the force, or the Packers in this case, remains to be seen. One thing that has been for sure with Love, is that he’s always been a model of inconsistency. He might have a great day one day, but then a bad day the next. What’s very important in all of that though, is how he bounces back.

Training Camp 2022

This year’s camp for Jordan Love, in a way has been more of the same, inconsistent. However, in some areas, the highs have outweighed the lows. It also seems like Love always bounces back. Each bad day has been followed up by a great one. In the last few days of camp Jordan Love showed out against the Saints defense doing very well in the redzone situations. Wednesday alone Love was 3/4 in the redzone drills with three touchdowns. He also capped off the final public 2-minute drill of 2022 with a 50+ yard deep ball to Samori Toure and then connected with Toure again on the 2-point conversion to win the game. But now, he needs to transfer those highs from practice, to game time.

Preseason Action

Those highs are well and good in practice, but for those of us that really want Jordan Love to silence the haters, they have to happen under the lights. If you looked at the stat sheet for last Friday night’s game, it didn’t look good. But if you actually watched the game, you’d realize, the stat sheet didn’t do it justice. 2/3 of Love’s interceptions were in no way Love’s fault. The last one has been debated, but I will say he maybe shouldn’t have pulled the trigger. But outside of the INT stat, it was honestly a decent outing. His TD pass to Romeo Doubs on the second drive was a beautiful dime. Even right after the ugly three INT hole he got in to, he bounced back and drove the offense down the field and ended with a 33-yard TD pass to Danny Davis to end the half.

So, is this it?

I wouldn’t say that this preseason is Jordan Love’s final chance. Love will be the number two QB behind Aaron Rodgers heading into the season barring the Packers receiving a can’t-pass-up trade offer. But the next few weeks could determine his fate heading into next season. With Love being a 1st round pick heading into his 3rd season, the Packers will have to decide after this season whether or not to pick up the 5th year option on Jordan Love’s contract. With Aaron Rodgers year-to-year on retirement, if the Packers are satisfied with Love in the preseason and camp, they could pick up that 5th year and see what happens. Either their QB of the future turns into today in that time, or they continue with a decent #2 to their Hall of Famer.

But if Jordan Love doesn’t do as hot in the next few weeks, perhaps the thoughts cross their minds that it could be time to move on. Will that happen this season? Again, not unless they receive a brilliant trade offer. But that could mean declining the 5th year option, keeping Love into next season, and perhaps bringing in a new “QB of the future” in the 2023 offseason to develop with Rodgers and Love still on the team. I hear there are a handful of enticing QB’s in next year’s draft.

To bring my personal opinion in to it, I think the powers that be on 1265 Lombardi Ave still believe Jordan Love is the answer post-Aaron Rodgers. They are in no hurry to shut that door. With Rodgers biding his time before riding off into the sunset, every day is another day to help make Jordan Love better, and see if when that day comes, he can be that guy. Preseason action likely isn’t going to dictate their opinion, they know what they have and they’re going to stick with it until making a decision is absolutely necessary.

Side note: Happy 1st Birthday today to my son Evan, I can’t believe it’s already been a year!

Greg Meinholz is a lifelong devoted Packer fan. A contributor to PackersTalk as well as CheeseheadTV. Follow him on Twitter at @gmeinholz. for Packers commentary, random humor, beer endorsements, and occasional Star Wars and Marvel ramblings.

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