Packers’ training camp is right around the corner, and with that, news outlets are starting to come out with their preseason player rankings. Now, I know these rankings are not worth getting all hot and bothered about, but the people who ranked the NFL’s top 10 quarterbacks made themselves look ridiculous when they left Jordan Love off the list.
I am not saying Love belongs among the NFL’s top three or even top five quarterbacks, but some of the names ahead of him make his exclusion from the top 10 difficult to justify.
Let’s start with the two NFC North quarterbacks whom the voters placed ahead of Love. They ranked Jared Goff ninth and, somehow, Caleb Williams 10th. One NFL executive even ranked Williams sixth and Goff fifth. Yes, you read that right: someone who works in the NFL believes Caleb Williams enters 2026 as the league’s sixth-best quarterback and Jared Goff ranks fifth.
Love is not the 3rd best QB in the Division
The people putting Jared Goff ahead of Jordan Love are looking at a stat sheet instead of watching the games.
Yes, Goff threw for more yards and more touchdowns. Congratulations. He also played in arguably the most quarterback-friendly offense in football, behind one of the NFL’s best offensive lines, with an elite running game, and one of the deepest collections of skill players in the league.
Jordan Love and the Packers didn’t have that kind of luxury. Instead, Love was asked to elevate a young offense, overcome injuries around him, and make plays when everything wasn’t perfect. Time after time, that’s exactly what he did.
Love was the better playmaker. When the pocket collapsed, he extended plays. When defenses dialed up pressure, he punished them. He attacked downfield, took more difficult throws, and still protected the football better than Goff.
Being a top Quarterback isn’t just about piling up passing yards in a perfectly designed offense. It’s about making the throws that very few players can make, creating when the play breaks down and elevating the talent around you. Love checked every one of those boxes in 2025.
The advanced metrics back it up, too. Love ranked among the NFL’s most efficient quarterbacks on a per-play basis and finished as one of the highest-graded passers in football despite throwing fewer passes than Goff. He simply got more out of every opportunity.
This isn’t meant to disrespect Goff. He’s a good quarterback. But if you’re asking me which quarterback I’d rather have leading my team for one game—or for the next five years then the answer isn’t close. Jordan Love is the better quarterback, and anyone who watched him play in 2025 instead of simply reading the box score should know it.
Caleb? Really?
This one should honestly not even be a debate. It is an absolute joke and the only reason why anyone can fathom that Caleb would be top 10 ranked in the ESPN rankings is for the pure reason to get people talking more about him and the Bears.
What exactly has Caleb Williams done to justify being ranked ahead of Jordan Love? Seriously.
We’re talking about voters placing a quarterback who is still trying to establish himself in the NFL ahead of one who has already proven he can lead a franchise, win in the playoffs and consistently perform at an elite level against NFL defenses.
The love affair over the Bears and Williams last season is based on completely volatile stats that can change on a dime this season. Caleb was mediocre to sub-par most of those games and then was able to build comebacks.
The Standard Changes With Love
When Love struggled early in his first season as a starter, everyone wanted to point it out. When he caught fire over the second half of that season, the narrative became that it was “just a hot streak.”
He followed it up with another productive season while playing through injuries and leading Green Bay back into playoff contention; suddenly, quarterbacks with less sustained success started jumping ahead of him. Injuries to Christian Watson, Tucker Kraft and Jayden Reed limited the Packers’ offense throughout last season.
What else does he have to do to prove he is a top ten quarterback? He has thrived in an offense that has fewer superstars than most, if not all, of the top quarterbacks on the list. He has been able to extend plays and make big throws downfield.
Where should Jordan Love Be Ranked?
There is no issue with placing Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow or Matthew Stafford above Love. Those quarterbacks have established themselves as elite players and belong near the top of any ranking. The problem starts when voters place Love below others based on name recognition, team success or future projection.
ESPN’s ranking included Dak Prescott, Justin Herbert, Drake Maye, Goff and Williams in spots six through 10. There are fair debates to be had within that group. What is not fair is treating Love as though he clearly belongs beneath all of them.
Herbert continues to receive elite treatment despite limited postseason results, including a 27-point collapse. Maye is coming off a solid season, but ESPN’s own evaluators expressed concerns about his limited body of work
Taking all of this into consideration, it’s clear Love should be top-7 or top-8 on this list.
Nothing Left to Prove
Jordan Love does not need to be ranked ahead of Mahomes, Allen, Jackson or Burrow. But putting Goff, Williams, Maye and Prescott ahead of him is where the list loses credibility.
Love has already proven he can win, make elite-level throws and elevate an offense without a loaded supporting cast. Meanwhile, other quarterbacks are being rewarded for reputation, projection or better situations.
Jordan Love is not the third-best quarterback in the NFC North, and he is not outside the NFL’s top 10. He belongs somewhere between seventh and eighth, and pretending otherwise is just another example of hype mattering more than what happens on the field.
