Jordan Love thought this day would never come.
Love, whom the Packers drafted in the first round in 2020, had his first news conference since becoming the team’s starting quarterback. He played only 10 games, with one start, in three seasons sitting behind Aaron Rodgers.
One month after repeating as league MVP, Rodgers signed a three-year extension with the Packers on March 15, 2022.
“I’ll admit: I think the hardest time was when he re-signed the contract last year,” Love said, via Bill Huber of SI.com. “It was like, ‘OK, well, where do we go from here? What do I do?’
“And I think I sat back, thought to myself and just came back with the approach, like, ‘Let’s just go ball out any opportunity I get. I’m going to get preseason and who knows what happens after that, so just grow and try and become the best version of myself. I can’t really control what happens after that, so let it play out.’”
Love, who has thrown 83 passes with three touchdowns and three interceptions, admits it was “very hard’ to be patient.
His patience paid off.
Love has the starting job, a contract extension through 2024 and the full support of teammates and coaches after the Packers’ trade of Rodgers to the Jets.
“Obviously, you want to be the guy,” Love said. “Everybody wants to be the guy. Everybody wants to be on the field making plays. So, it’s not easy, but it was the situation I was put in. It was really nothing I could do about it. I say all the time: Control what I can control, and all I can control with that situation is how I approach every day, how I learn, how I grow and how I get myself ready if my name’s called.”
The Packers finally have called Love’s name. It’s his job. It’s his team. It’s his time.
“I’ve always been a big believer in myself,” Love said.