Packers’ Jordan Love taking leadership role with Aaron Rodgers absent

There’s a lot to dissect with the drama surrounding the Green Bay Packers and MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers right now. And although most of that is guesswork about what is taking place behind the scenes, we can get a better handle on what is going on with backup Jordan Love on the actual football field.

Love, the Packers’ 2020 first-round pick, finds himself in the public eye this summer, as the staring contest takes place between the organization that drafted him and the future Hall of Famer still ahead of him on the depth chart. None of it is his fault, but he bears the burden all the same.

Love didn’t play a single snap in his rookie year and didn’t even beat up Tim Boyle for the no. 2 job. He looks to show everyone he’s ready to take the bull by the horns whenever that time may come.

With Green Bay Packers’ starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the midst of a battle with the organization, Jordan Love is stepping up in a leadership role.

With Rodgers sitting out all of the team activities and minicamp practices so far, Love has gotten all he can handle in reps. Playing with the first team, he’s had his good days and he’s had his bad ones. That’s all to be expected for a player who spent most of last season inactive on game days and didn’t have any preseason experience to speak of.

While he’s working to craft his in-game skills, he’s also understanding how to command the huddle, earn the respect of his teammates, and lead through example and speech.

In an ESPN article, Rob Demovsky outlines how Packers’ head coach Matt LaFleur wants to give Love all he can handle. He discusses how Love hasn’t had the same game experience as the other guys, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t installing their entire offense with him at the helm. Love himself focused on the leadership aspects of his game, “That’s a part of my game that I’m trying to improve as well, just being able to take charge of this offense and be able to command these guys and take a leadership role. Last year, obviously I wasn’t in that role. That was Aaron’s voice being heard and whatnot. Now I’ve just got to be able to take that next step and take command of it and lead these guys.”

That’s a challenge for any new and young quarterback, nonetheless, someone in the situation Love is in.

The good news is he appears to already be earning the respect of his teammates, if not just the praise. Stud wide receiver Davante Adams, who has publicly backed Rodgers, talked about how he’s already seen Love “taking big steps as a leader.” That’s a huge compliment from an important voice in the locker room and an extremely important player on the football field.

There’s no saying how this will all play out with Rodgers and the Packers. The reigning MVP may very well return and lead Green Bay to another deep run in the postseason. Or Love’s time may come way earlier than anyone expected and he’ll get thrown into the fire in Year 2. Whenever that opportunity comes, this experience is invaluable for Love and he must continue to hone his skills.