Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Packers' Jordan Love discusses Aaron Rodgers' departure

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 5/10/23

Jordan Love finally has the Green Bay Packers starting quarterback job to himself now that Aaron Rodgers is with the New York Jets. The 24-year-old discussed both his new role and his old teammate with reporters on Wednesday.

Love on how long the last three years seemed waiting his turn: "It seemed like three years, it seemed like a while looking back on it. The first year was the longest. ... Definitely felt like a while."
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) May 10, 2023

Love said the hardest time during the three-year wait when was Rodgers signed his contract extension in March of 2022.

"It was kind of like, OK where do we go from here? What do I do?"
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) May 10, 2023

"I'm always just grateful to be around him and for the time I had with him, to be able to learn and be behind him. It's very grateful for me," Love continued, per Demovsky.

The Packers used their first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft to select Love at 26th overall, but the Utah St. product didn't see the field that year behind Rodgers.

Love got his most playing time in 2021, appearing in six games and making one start, going 36-for-62 for 411 passing yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. With the four-time MVP one of the most durable quarterbacks in the NFL, Love was again relegated to mop-up duty in the 2022 campaign, playing in four games and going 14-for-21 for 195 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception.

While Rodgers will jump into a Jets offense that oozes with potential and features the likes of dynamic running back Breece Hall and wide receiver (and AP Offensive Rookie of the Year) Garrett Wilson — plus Rodgers' longtime teammates in Green Bay in Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb — Love's situation with the Packers will be different.

Green Bay features a solid rushing attack in one-time Pro Bowler Aaron Jones and backup AJ Dillon but lacks experience in the wide receivers room. The top three wideouts on the team's projected depth chart are promising second-year pros Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs, as well as rookie second-round pick Jayden Reed.

Given the franchise's rich history, Packers fans will likely have high expectations for Love in his first season as a starter, and it appears that the organization does as well, as evidenced by the recent one-year contract extension it gave the signal-caller.

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