A couple of years ago, the Green Bay Packers' decision to draft Jordan Love raised plenty of eyebrows around the NFL. If anything, using a first-round pick on a QB made most people feel like the Aaron Rodgers era was coming to an end.
Fast-forward to today and that seems like a lost pick. He hasn't been impressive in limited snaps, and Rodgers will stay there for the foreseeable future. So, what does this season hold for Love?
Love could still flourish somewhere else if one of the many QB-needy teams is willing to take a risk on him. However, they'll ask for a big return for the Oregon product, as the Packers would only consider offers including a second or third-round pick for him:
"I'm sure the Packers would take a 2nd or maybe a 3rd rounder for Jordan Love," Rapoport said on The Pat McAfee Show.
Most teams will feel like Love is only worth a late-round pick. However, the Packers need a big insurance policy in the case something happens to their star QB:
“The problem is, his value as a backup is real. That is an important thing. I guarantee someone would trade a fifth-rounder for Jordan Love, I’m sure somebody would trade a fourth-rounder for Jordan Love. But is that enough for the Packers, God forbid something happens to Aaron Rodgers, is that enough for the Packers to say ‘you know what, we’ll do this, we’ll figure it out later?'” Rapoport added.
The front office still needs to see more out of him. They trust they made the right decision, even if the fans and analysts weren't much of a fan of that pick:
“I think this preseason is important for him,” Packers CEO Mark Murphy told Packast. “We think he can be a good player, but we haven’t really seen enough. So I think this preseason will be good for him. He’s a talented player. I know the decision to draft him has been questioned by a number of people, but it’s such an important position in our league that investing future assets at the position. They said the same thing when we drafted Aaron.”
All things considered, it's clear that Love isn't ready to take the reins of the team. Otherwise, the Packers wouldn't have signed Rodgers to that massive deal just a couple of months ago.
Looking back, it's clear that they could've given that first-round pick better use, such as a first-round WR for when Davante Adams walked away. But maybe, all Love needs is a change of scenery to silence his critics once and for all.
