Packers: There’s no rush for Jordan Love to become starter

Ever since the Green Bay Packers‘ season came to an end, much of the talk has surrounded Aaron Rodgers’ future and when Jordan Love will be the new starting quarterback.

It’s the way it was always going to be once the Packers traded up for Love in the first round of last spring’s draft.

After an MVP season, Rodgers is still QB1 in Green Bay and all three of Matt LaFleur, Brian Gutekunst, and Mark Murphy have made that as clear as possible.

It’s the right decision, of course. Rodgers gives the Packers a chance to be Super Bowl contenders as consecutive NFC Championship appearances show us. Love might be the future, but that doesn’t need to be in 2021.

Rodgers is still under contract for three years. As he was selected in the first round which adds the fifth-year option, the Packers can keep Love in Green Bay for another four seasons.

So, what’s the rush?

Even in a Covid year that altered the offseason, imagine how much Love has learned by watching Rodgers up close. In practice. In the film room. Pre-game. He had a front-row seat to see Rodgers’ MVP season.

Much like Rodgers learned a lot from Brett Favre, Love will have learned from Rodgers.

In today’s game, we rarely see first-round quarterbacks sit on the bench for multiple seasons. But how many QBs who have struggled would’ve benefited greatly from a year or two to learn from a great QB?

Could things have gone differently for Josh Rosen or Sam Darnold had they been able to sit and learn from a quarterback like Rodgers, Drew Brees, or Tom Brady for a few years? Maybe. Maybe not.

Patrick Mahomes, an all-world passer who could go from NFL MVP in 2018 to back-to-back Super Bowl champion in ’19 and ’20, didn’t start in his rookie season. Learning from Alex Smith and Andy Reid greatly benefited his development.

Maybe Love will become a great NFL quarterback. Maybe he won’t. Nobody knows. But if Love is the Packers’ next franchise QB, people will soon forget about the “wasted” first-round pick and the time it took for him to get his opportunity.

If not, well I won’t blame the Packers for picking a QB. If there’s a quarterback they believe can be a starter, why not draft him? I’m sure the Saints or Steelers would love to have a first-round quarterback ready they had developed for a couple of seasons.

Maybe it’ll backfire, but the same was true when they drafted Rodgers.

If he’s the right choice, his time will come in the next few years.

What’s the rush?