The chances of a Jordan Love era in Green Bay are about as good as a dairy drought in Appleton, Wisconsin, following Aaron Rodgers’ massive contract extension agreement with the Packers on Tuesday. With Rodgers set to take up plenty of cap room, there’s no wiggle room for Love, a former first-round pick, on the Packers’ depth chart.
Why Aaron Rodgers’ extension is a tough break for Jordan Love
When the Packers selected Love with the 26th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, there was a belief that Rodgers’ time at the top of the league was coming to a close. Rodgers responded to Love’s selection by winning back-to-back MVP awards, while lighting weekly box scores on fire.
With Rodgers agreeing to a new contract (there are conflicting reports, but four years and $200 million has been tossed out), the Packers have solidified his future. Meanwhile, Love’s outlook becomes lost in the shuffle.
Love was an intriguing prospect during his draft class, and despite his lack of playing time (six games, one start), he should still have some appeal on the trade market. With the current QB prospect crop looking undesirable, Love could be compared to the talent in April’s draft. That could be a good thing for the Packers, who could look to mitigate the damage of a sunk first-round pick with a trade.
Top trade destinations for Jordan Love
At just 23, Love is younger than Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett, a top-tier prospect in this year’s draft class. Love doesn’t turn 24 until November and should be looked at as a clean slate at this point in his NFL career. No one will begrudge a young quarterback for being bested for playing time by Rodgers, a surefire Hall of Famer and reigning back-to-back MVP.
So, with that said, if a team is interested in the likes of Pickett, Matt Corral of Ole Miss, Malik Willis of Liberty, and Desmond Ridder of Cincinnati, those front offices should also consider Love, who might come cheaper than a first- or second-round pick.
There are plenty of teams looking for answers at QB, and a trio of squads would benefit from trading for the former first-round pick.
Indianapolis Colts
While the Colts are still trying to figure out their situation with Carson Wentz, Love would provide them with a fresh start and a cheap contract in the wake of an expensive mistake. The Colts’ roster is talented, and head coach Frank Reich has done a great job of modeling his offense around his talent at QB. Reich would be an excellent teacher for Love.
Without a first-round pick in this year’s draft, the Colts aren’t really in contention for a top prospect. However, landing Love as a consolation prize would be appealing. The Colts could sell him to the fan base as their fresh, young hope.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers are looking to find a replacement for Ben Roethlisberger. After spending two years behind Rodgers, Love could be an intriguing option for a veteran team that is looking to avoid a full-on rebuild. Love has the athletic upside and college pedigree to appeal to a team that is picking outside of the range of the top QB prospects.
The Steelers need a QB who can come in and attack the system. Love is a player who has a lot to prove, and he could battle Mason Rudolph, in earnest, for the starting job this summer.
Carolina Panthers
It seems like the Panthers have been looking for a QB since Matt Rhule got to town. Rhule tends to favor mobile QBs with strong arms, and Love fits that mold. While the Panthers have felt like a sinking ship over the past few years, Love could be the right captain to steer the franchise out of purgatory.
The Panthers have a ton of holes on their depth chart, and dedicating a Day 2 pick to trade for Love, as opposed to spending a first-round pick on a QB prospect, should appeal to everyone in the building, especially if they want to stage competition with Sam Darnold on the other side of the field.