Green Bay Packers' Matt LaFleur offers odd defense for underperforming player in preseason

Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has been left impressed with quarterback Jordan Love following his performance in preseason. 

Jordan Love is in perhaps one of the weirdest situations in the NFL when it comes to a player and what his future in the league looks like. Having been drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft as the heir-apparent to Aaron Rodgers, he hasn’t had much of a chance to show what he can do.

Despite being a first-round pick, his action has been limited, only getting one start during his first two seasons in the NFL, having to sit behind Rodgers and ‘develop’ whilst Rodgers continues to dominate the league and show what he can do. 

Indeed, there are some who believe that the drafting of Love has been the ultimate motivator for Rodgers, using it as a chip on his shoulder to perform better and prove that the organisation was wrong to draft his successor if he feels like he still has a long way to go in the league, winning league MVP in each of the past two seasons when Love has been behind him on the bench.

That situation might not change in the immediate future for Love, with Rodgers having signed a contract extension this past offseason that will see him tied to the Packers through the 2024 season, which will be the end of Love’s initial rookie contract, and barring any long-term injury for Rodgers, it will go down as one of the biggest wasted picks of all time. 

So what does that mean for Love moving forward? Is he doomed to be Rodgers backup for three further seasons and beyond? Will he get the chance to play elsewhere and show what he can do? 

For him, all he can do is show out in preseason and hope for the best, but the overall numbers don’t really suggest