Earlier this offseason, Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said that second-year quarterback Jordan Love has “a long way to go” in his development into a potential starter. Based on the way teammates and coaches are talking about Love at the Packers’ organized team activities (OTAs) this week, perhaps he does not have quite as long a way to go as Gutekunst thought.
“You can tell he’s just a lot more comfortable out there, even from communicating in the huddle to the command of the huddle to just everything,” running back Aaron Jones said, per ESPN.com. “He’s had a year under his belt, he’s had time to watch and learn, so you can tell it’s a little bit different from what it was before. He’s going to continue to grow, and I’m happy to be here working with him.”
Starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers, as you have probably heard, is not in attendance at Packers OTAs. The rift between Rodgers and the front office, exacerbated by the way the team moved up in the draft to select Love without informing Rodgers, is still in need of repair. This week, he’s been vacationing in Hawaii with his fiancee, actress Shailene Woodley, and friends Miles Teller and Keleigh Sperry Teller. Rodgers, though, has been clear that he has affection for Love as a player and a person.
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“I love Jordan [Love], he’s a great kid,” Rodgers said. “A lot of fun to work together. I love the coaching staff, love my teammates, love the fan base in Green Bay. It’s been an incredible 16 years.”
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, who had a ton of praise for Rodgers’ intelligence, arm strength, and overall performance during a podcast appearance earlier this week, also took time to praise Love this week.
“He’s definitely matured over the course of the year,” LaFleur said. “You can tell that he’s put in the time this offseason, not only just lifting and running and coming in in good football shape, but also you can tell he’s put in the time in his craft in trying to continue to work on his mechanics, his fundamentals that are so critical to playing the position at the highest level possible. So he’s still got a lot to learn. I think he can tell you that, but he’s going to take it one day at a time. He goes out there with purpose. I like his mindset right now.”