Jordan Love keeps getting treated like a quarterback people are still trying to figure out, even though the evidence says there’s plenty to like.
That’s the strange place he’s in now. He’s been asked to do more than just replace Aaron Rodgers; he’s also carrying the weight of Green Bay’s unusual quarterback lineage, with the Packers having followed back-to-back Hall of Famers at the game’s most important position. Add in Matt LaFleur’s conservative play-calling in big moments, and it’s easy to see how the conversation around Love has stayed stuck.
Still, the latest example of that skepticism went a step further. NFL Spin Zone’s Sayre Bedinger picked Caleb Williams over Love as the NFC North’s best quarterback.
"If this were based purely on prior production, Jared Goff would pretty easily be the pick. Jordan Love has shown stretches of MVP-caliber play in the past as well, but nobody has the combination of talent and upside quite like the #1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft," Bedinger wrote.
"If we're talking about best arm talent in the division, Williams is at the top. If we're talking about the best dual-threat at the position in the division, Williams is probably at the top as well."
Williams arrived with huge expectations and was viewed as the league’s next star before he ever took a snap. His rookie season had plenty of rough moments, and last year he was one of the least accurate quarterbacks in the game.
Even so, the arm talent is obvious. He’s already hit some ridiculous throws, including ones that helped send the Packers home in a painful playoff loss.
But raw talent and upside are not the same as being the best quarterback in a division.
Jared Goff’s production is impossible to ignore, but calling him the best quarterback in the NFC North just because of the numbers goes too far. Even with his elite supporting cast taken out of the equation, that case doesn’t hold up. He may be the most accurate of the group, but that’s not the same thing as being the most talented or the best.
The Vikings also don’t have a starting quarterback yet, which should take them out of the discussion entirely. Kyler Murray, years ago before the injuries, might have been the best scrambler and thrower on the move.
Now, that may not even be true anymore. And J.J.
McCarthy, for all the attention, has at least given everyone the best memes.
So at this point, the criticism of Love feels less like analysis and more like habit. The national conversation seems set on repeating the same storyline no matter what the numbers, the facts, or the tape say.
Love will have to answer it in 2026. LaFleur will have to give him more freedom, too. He’s a gunslinger, and it’s time to let him earn his check with his arm.
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So the Packers are left to lean on what they already have, with MarShawn Lloyd and Chris Brooks expected to absorb the workload after Emanuel Wilson's departure. Lloyd's recovery has been encouraging enough to keep hope alive that he can grow into a bigger role, but the bigger picture is still unsettled, and Green Bay's backfield questions are only getting louder as the options keep thinning. [Read more 🡒]