Is Jordan Love the future? Packers CEO says it may take 'at least half a season' to find out - News Block

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Green Bay Packers president/CEO Mark Murphy says it will likely take “at least half a season” for the team to know what it has in new starting quarterback Jordan Love.

Murphy noted the parallels to 2008, when Aaron Rodgers took over as Green Bay’s starting quarterback after backing up Hall of Famer Brett Favre for three seasons. Rodgers’ trade to the New York Jets cleared the way for Love, who has gotten a start to his career since the Packers selected him from Utah State with the 26th pick in the 2020 draft.

The Packers went 6-10 in 2008, but won their most recent Super Bowl title two years later.

“Comparing a little bit to Aaron’s first year as a starter, yeah, I’d say at least half a season to know,” Murphy said Monday after the NFL’s only publicly owned team held its annual shareholder meeting. “And I think even though we ended up with a losing record that year, we saw enough of Aaron to know we had something special.”

The Packers open training camp Wednesday with a far less experienced team than they’ve had in recent seasons. Wide receiver Allen Lazard and safety Adrian Amos are with Rodgers in New York. Kicker Mason Crosby, the leading scorer in team history, is not expected to return after the Packers drafted Auburn kicker Anders Carlson in the sixth round.

The only Packers in their 30s are punter Pat O’Donnell (32), offensive tackle David Bakhtiari (31), outside linebacker Preston Smith (30) and inside linebacker De’Vondre Campbell (30).

“We’re a very different team than last year,” Murphy said. “We will be younger, but I am optimistic. I obviously have a lot of confidence in Matt. I think our defense is probably going to have to carry us around a bit early in the season. I think offensively, you’ll probably see a little more of Matt’s real offense. Obviously, when you have a great quarterback like Aaron and someone who’s been in the league as long as he has, we gave him the flexibility to change plays and get in and out of things that really helped. But I would anticipate a strong running game and gaming action from that.”

The Packers are particularly young on offense.

The only Green Bay wide receivers or tight ends to catch more than 13 passes last season are Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs, both entering their second seasons. The Packers drafted Oregon State tight end Luke Musgrave and Michigan State wide receiver Jayden Reed in the second round and added South Dakota State tight end Tucker Kraft in the third round.

“There’s probably going to be some ups and downs with Jordan and we have young receivers, but we have a lot of talent there and I think our thinking is, or our hope is, that they’ll all get better and grow together,” Murphy said.

Speaking to the 7,825 shareholders who attended Monday’s meeting and the 1,200 who streamed it online, Murphy said the “time was right” to make a quarterback trade and praised general manager Brian Gutekunst for his negotiations with the Jets and for making the decision to draft Love four years ago.

“He was heavily criticized when he selected Jordan Love,” Murphy said. “However, that draft has now put us in a position where we feel we can be competitive in the long term. There’s an old saying in the NFL, the best time to draft a quarterback is when you don’t need one.”

The crowd of shareholders cheered as Murphy paid tribute to Rodgers, calling him “one of the greatest players in Packers history.” Gutekunst’s comment that Love is “ready to make his mark in the National Football League after patiently waiting his turn” received a similar reception.

Murphy said he expects Rodgers’ number to be retired “probably a year after” the quarterback’s career ends.

“It will probably be someone else in my position who makes that decision,” said Murphy, who will retire after his 70th birthday in July 2025. “But I think it will be shortly after his career is officially over.”