GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Jordan Love doesn’t necessarily agree with the assertion that he and the Green Bay Packers took a step back last season.
But the Packers quarterback is certain about this much: It’s time for his team and his game to take a major step forward.
Love heads into his third season as a starter coming off a three-interception performance in the team’s season-ending NFC first-round playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles but believing he’s on a team capable of winning the Super Bowl.
Whether Love and his teammates reach that goal depends in part on how much Love improves his game and whether he can avoid the injuries that sidelined him for 2 1/2 games last season. Love begrudgingly admitted those injuries affected his play.
“You’re talking about Super Bowl. That’s the goal for us,” Love said Wednesday following the first open-to-reporters organized team activity practice of the offseason. “I’m definitely trying to be that guy to be able to take this team and lead them to that.”
Love suffered a left knee injury in the closing moments of the team’s season-opening loss to the Eagles in Brazil, with the injury sidelining him for the next two games, both of which the Packers won with backup Malik Willis under center.
Love then sustained the left groin injury during an Oct. 29 win at Jacksonville, just as his knee was getting back to full health. He admitted that the injuries might’ve had an effect on his accuracy and mobility, but insisted they were no excuse for not playing better.
“Obviously it’s not fun playing through injuries, but sometimes those (are) things you’ve got to do,” said Love, who finished the 2024 season with a 61.3% completion rate and a 96.7 passer rating, with 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. “There might’ve been some things that might’ve been affected, but at the end of the day, I’m still trying to put my best foot forward and I’ve got to go out there and be the best player I can be.”
Love raised expectations inside and outside Lambeau Field with his torrid finish to the 2023 season, when he completed 70.3% of his passes for 2,150 yards with 18 touchdowns and only one interception (112.7 rating) over the final eight regular-season games. Love then led a first-round playoff upset of the No. 2-seeded Dallas Cowboys on the road.
Packers coach Matt LaFleur disputed the notion Wednesday that Love struggled in 2024, pointing not only to the injuries but the 33 passes his receivers dropped during the regular season — tied for the third most in the league.
"I think there’s a narrative out there for whatever reason that he wasn’t as productive as the year before,” LaFleur said. “Well, he missed significant time (with injuries) … and also — let’s be honest, we’ve talked about this — we did have a lot of drops last year.
“So, there’s other circumstances that play into it.”
LaFleur said he liked what he’s seen from Love this offseason and how he’s handling a myriad of new challenges. Those challenges include transitioning from having 71-year-old Tom Clements as his position coach to having 33-year-old Sean Mannion in that role, trying to keep all his wide receivers happy when there are only so many passes to go around and rising to LaFleur’s publicly stated challenge that Love needs to be more of a vocal leader in his sixth NFL season.
“He’s already doing that,” veteran running back Josh Jacobs said of Love’s altered leadership approach. “He definitely has been more vocal, whether it’s at practice or even in the meetings. If he sees something he doesn’t like, he’s speaking up. … I’ve definitely seen a big change in him.”
NOTES: Jayden Reed, the Packers’ leading receiver the past two seasons, insisted he’s not worried about his role in the offense, despite a report that his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, contacted the team looking for clarity about his client’s role. “A lot of people misinterpreted that,” Reed said. … LaFleur said wide receiver Christian Watson, recovering from a torn ACL in his right knee suffered in the Jan. 5 regular-season finale, is “doing outstanding. I would say he’s ahead of schedule, but I’m not a doctor.” … LaFleur confirmed that the team will have two joint practices this summer, one at Indianapolis and another at home against the Seattle Seahawks. ... The Packers will begin training camp July 23.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
The Associated Press
