Is Jordan Love worth it? Why the Packers will bet big on their quarterback

July 22, 2024

Patience is a virtue for quarterbacks waiting for their second touchdown. The next quarterback to get paid almost always makes more than the last. For Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love, more patience than usual was required.

Love sat behind Aaron Rodgers for three years before finally getting his chance to start. Then he had to wait until the eve of the preseason for a contract extension. After a season in which he finished the second half with an incredible run, the Packers will be expected to pay him to not only repeat his success but build on it. Love has flashed all the skills of a modern prototype. He has talent for the arm, size and the mentality of a gunslinger, but also the knack of playing within a structure.

Like Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen (I’m not saying he’s on their level), Love showed rare physical talent in college but needed to be refined. Teams give quarterbacks like that a chance because they make plays that others can’t. With Love, it looks like the Packers have made a big bet.

GO DEEPER

Why Jordan Love and Co. can take the Packers offense to explosive new heights

Love shined last season with his fadeaway passes, which have become his trademark. Fadeaways aren’t just for scoring style points; they’re also effective because Love doesn’t have to take time to reposition his feet to throw accurately. He can sit back and go when he sees an opportunity. In the NFL, every millisecond counts, and the time he steals on these throws makes a huge difference. One of his most impressive fadeaways came against the Minnesota Vikings.

“They disguised it,” Love said in his postgame press conference. “They went into a Cover-2 type of coverage. We had four verts on the field. I knew I was going to have (Jayden Reed) right there. I kind of didn’t see him at first… where he was. Then he came into my line of sight, so I just let him out, let him get it. It was a great play.”

Week 16, 5:38 remaining in the first quarter, second and ten

The Vikings started with Cover 1 (man-to-man with a deep safety). The Packers had a four-vertical concept (four receivers running verticals).

After the snap, the defense went into a variation of the Cover 2 zone. At the top of the screen (to Love’s right), they played Inverted Two, meaning they had a corner playing a deep half. Love looked left before looking right. Reed ran the vertical inside route, but Love appeared to look outside first. He said he couldn’t find Reed, which may have been why he scanned toward the sideline.

From the end zone perspective, you can see that his vision cone was facing outward, but the trajectory to Reed was inward. He had pressure on his face, so it’s unclear when he found Reed.

Love looked outside and dropped the corner further out, giving Reed even more room. He leaned back and threw the ball to Reed without properly positioning his feet or aligning his body for the throw.

Amazingly, the ball flew about 45 yards through the air and hit Reed right as he ran.

Love doesn’t just rely on his ability to make fadeaway throws to handle the pressure. His ability to manage the pocket has shined through the season. He doesn’t try to break the pocket to run; he wants to play from the inside. Love ranked 16th among qualified passers in scramble rate last season.

Week 16, 5:51 remaining in third quarter, second and ten

On this play, he initially looked to his left, saw no gap, and tried to run left, but when the lane narrowed, he stopped and went back to the pocket. His first look was to his left, but he made the pocket and was able to get his checkdown to the right.

GO DEEPER

Jordan Love of the Packers could build on last season’s success and become a top fantasy QB

Love ranked seventh in expected points (EPA) per dropback under pressure last season. Stats under pressure can fluctuate from season to season, but film shows a big quarterback who is hard to beat and has good pocket feel. A more stable stat is EPA per dropback on non-play-action passes. Love ranked second in that category from Weeks 10-18. He seemed calm and relaxed in his progressions.

NFC Divisional Round, 6:49 remaining in third quarter, second and ten

Here, the Packers followed a smash concept (cover/flat) to the right of Love, with Romeo Doubs executing a backside dig to the right.

Love initially opted for the smash concept, but the San Francisco 49ers have both routes well covered.

As Nick Bosa charged toward him, Love looked across the field at Doubs. The 49ers were in the zone, so Love knew not to push Doubs too far.

He threw the ball perfectly to a spot where Doubs ended up between several defenders. If Love had led Doubs here, the defense could have made a play or the free safety could have taken Doubs down. Good quarterbacks know how to protect their receivers.

GO DEEPER

No WR1, no problem for Jordan Love and the promising Packers offense

With modern defenses playing more zone and two-man coverage, quarterbacks must master the quick game. Mastering the quick game helped Mahomes counter the way defenses played him, and Love already seems very comfortable with those concepts. From Weeks 10 through 18, he ranked second in EPA per dropback on throws under 2 1/2 seconds.

Wildcard Round, 15:00 remaining in second quarter, First-and-16

Here, the Packers had a simple slant/flat concept to Love’s left. Dontayvion Wicks went into the opposite motion, causing the defense to shift and put their cards on the table, with the safety rotating down to the slant/flat side.

It’s subtle, but just before Love takes the final step of his drop, he looks to the flat side, whereupon the safety bites on it, leaving a window for the slant.

As he reached the third stage of his drop, he quickly aligned his body to deliver a strike to Doubs in the slant.

This type of subtle but effective manipulation of the defense is reminiscent of Rodgers, from whom Love likely learned this skill.

Scoop City Newsletter

Free, daily NFL updates delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up

Buy

Love’s success story isn’t particularly great, but he didn’t just make high-variance plays like throwing downfield. He showed a certain finesse and nuance that is repeatable, making plays that only a handful of quarterbacks can make. Everyone is looking for a quarterback who can be efficient and creative as a passer out of the pocket, with mobility and talent in his arm. It looks like the Packers have found their third in a row.

(Top photo: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)