The Inexperienced Bay Packers are Jordan Love’s workforce now following the commerce of Aaron Rodgers to the New Jets on Monday. The deal means Love, their 2020 first-round draft decide, will likely be Inexperienced Bay’s Week 1 starter, marking the the primary time in 30 years (since 1993) that somebody outdoors of Corridor of Famer Brett Favre and Rodgers, a future Corridor Famer, would be the Packers’ Week 1 quarterback.  

Love shined off the bench in 2022 in a 40-33 Week 12 street loss in opposition to the eventual NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles, finishing six of his 9 passes for 113 yards and a landing, a 63-yard catch-and-run for rookie huge receiver Christian Watson. His two fourth-quarter drives resulted in 10 Packers factors, retaining the Inexperienced and Gold within the ball sport after Rodgers went down with an harm to his ribs. With Love beneath heart, Inexperienced Bay head coach Matt LaFleur’s offense will possible look extra like a traditional Shanahan-style offense with loads of beneath heart performs and play-action, one which’s designed to have its quarterback taking part in the sport on straightforward mode. Each of the Packers’ Professional Bowl Aarons — Rodgers and working again Aaron Jones — have stated they’ve seen sufficient from Like to really feel like he will be the subsequent nice Packers passer. 

“They’re prepared to maneuver on with Jordan. That is superior,” Rodgers stated on “The Pat McAfee Present.” “Jordan goes to be an excellent participant. He is a f—ing nice child. He had a extremely nice 12 months this 12 months, getting higher on the look workforce [scout team]. He is obtained a brilliant future in entrance of him. They’ve a superb younger workforce. … They’re prepared to maneuver on, and so am I.”

Jones additionally expressed his confidence in Love again on Feb. 12, months away from when the commerce of Rodgers really went down. 

“It is arduous to switch any person like that [Rodgers],” Jones stated. “However I believe if that was to occur, Jordan is certainly prepared.”

There’s the case for why Love might make normal supervisor Brian Gutekunst seem like a visionary for buying and selling up 4 spots to pick out him in 2020 when the Packers have been coming off an NFC Championship sport run with Rodgers taking part in effectively. However what if Love bombs? It appears unlikely primarily based on all the pieces talked about above, but it surely’s throughout the realm of prospects. 

If Love does not pan out and Inexperienced Bay desires to maneuver on a 12 months from now, the one actual recourse the Packers should go get both of the 2024 NFL Draft’s prime two quarterbacks — USC’s Caleb Williams, the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner and one of many extra dazzling prospects in at the very least the final 10 years, and North Carolina’s Drake Maye, a rocket-armed passer who had Professional Soccer Focus’ highest deep-passing grade (97.5) in all of school soccer in 2022 — is to observe within the 2023 Carolina Panthers’ footsteps and commerce a haul of belongings to one of many groups with the highest two total picks. The Packers have not handled quarterback instability for the reason that early Nineteen Nineties, so it is possible the franchise would not get pleasure from having that subject for a number of seasons. Plus, making a transfer of that magnitude might purchase Gutekunst extra time as normal supervisor if the workforce begins over with a top-tier passing prospect. 

The rationale buying and selling up is the one transfer they’d should do to get a kind of top-tier guys is as a result of even when Love underperforms, there’s an excessive amount of expertise on the Packers roster for the workforce to fully backside out. 

The left facet of their offensive line is buttressed by two Professional Bowls in left sort out David Bakhtiari and left guard Elgton Jenkins. Working backs Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillion symbolize one of many higher backfields in the whole league. Second-year huge receiver Christian Watson had 9 scrimmage touchdowns as a rookie in 2022, which was tied for essentially the most amongst all first-year gamers with Seattle Seahawks working again Kenneth Walker III. These 9 scores from scrimmage have been tied for fourth-most in the whole NFL amongst all huge receivers with a number of of the league’s greatest: the Vikings’ Justin Jefferson, the Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase, the Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb, the Browns’ Amari Cooper, and the Seahawks’ Tyler Lockett. 

Additionally, Professional Bowl defensive sort out Kenny Clark is among the higher gamers at his place, and Inexperienced Bay has good expertise on the sides of their line in Rashan Gary and Preston Smith. High cornerback Jaire Alexander has been a Second-Crew All-Professional in two of the final three seasons, and returner Keisean Nixon was the 2022 First-Crew All-Professional at that place, main the league in kick return yards with 1,009. 

Fortuitously for Inexperienced Bay, it should have sufficient draft capital to maneuver up in 2024 if it so needs, because of getting a 2024 conditional second-round decide again from the Jets that turns right into a first-round decide if Rodgers performs 65% of their offensive performs in 2023. That is the equal of round 11-12 video games performed, a benchmark Rodgers hit in 13 of his 15 seasons because the Packers’ full-time beginning quarterback. 

Gutekunst has staked his skilled status on Love’s success, so he is actually not seeking to spend an excessive amount of time on Love contingency plans. Nonetheless, the Packers will likely be well-stocked to make a giant leap up within the first spherical of the 2024 NFL Draft if vital. That is what the Inexperienced and Gold ought to do on the off probability that they do not really feel inclined to supply Love a second contract that may lock him in because the face of their franchise for the foreseeable future.