Most of the NFL world is sleeping on Jordan Love. They forget the MVP potential he showed in the back half of his first season as the Green Bay Packers' starter, focusing entirely on his injury-hit and inconsistent second act.
Several takes raise eyebrows, including one statement that Caleb Williams is already a better quarterback than Love. Packers fans know the truth, and fortunately, they're not alone.
In a recent article by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, an NFL personnel evaluator gave a spot-on assessment of Love entering the new season.
"He was f---ing outstanding," the personnel evaluator said, referring to Love's performance in the second half of the 2023 season. "Play-action on time, big arm, confidence."
Including their playoff win, the Packers went 7-2 down the stretch, with Love completing 70.1 percent of his passes for 2,422 yards, 21 touchdowns, and one interception for a 116.6 rating. That's the MVP-level ceiling Love can reach.
The personnel evaluator believes Love's injuries prevented him from building on that level of play last season.
"It looked like it took him time to work through managing that injury," they said. "Another full offseason with [head coach Matt] LaFleur and more receiving options and he'll be fine."
That take is as accurate as Love in AT&T Stadium. Pinpoint.
Jordan Love is ready to dominate in his third season as the Packers' starter
Few are ready to admit it, but Love can reach All-Pro heights in 2025.
We've seen it all this offseason. Beyond Caleb Williams receiving more praise than Love, one ranking had J.J. McCarthy ahead of the Packers starter. Yes, the same McCarthy yet to play an NFL snap.
But the NFL personnel evaluator was spot on. Love showed how high his ceiling was two seasons ago.
He dealt with several injuries last year, beginning with an MCL sprain in Week 1. He later played through a groin issue before suffering an elbow injury that took him out of the regular-season finale. Love played a week later but had to overcome some serious adversity all year long.
It goes beyond that. Love's receivers let him down far too often. According to Pro Football Focus, he had 26 on-target passes dropped, the fifth-most in the NFL.
Despite those challenges, Love still ranked 10th in the league for touchdown passes (while missing two full games and exiting three others early), and his 69.3 QBR ranked fifth in the NFL.
Progress isn't always linear. It's common for a young player to show promise, take a step or two back, and then springboard to stardom. Love has an improved receiving corps and, with a bit of luck, will avoid the injury issues from a year ago. If that happens, look out.
The best is yet to come.