Jordan Love’s reputation around the league doesn’t match his on-field production, and three perspectives offer deeper insight into why
The Packers quarterback was 13th on ESPN’s rankings, behind fellow NFC North quarterbacks Jared Goff and Caleb Williams.
The quarterback discourse is in full offseason mode. Over the past two weeks, Green Bay Packers’ Jordan Love suffered a series of jabs to his reputation, appearing just as the 72nd overall player on NFL’s Top 100 (voted by players themselves) and as the 13th quarterback on Jeremy Fowler’s list (voted by executives, coaches, and scouts).
It’s easy to say that Love was disrespected and should be higher. Any analytical point of view would support that perception. Nonetheless, if the entire NFL community views Love as an above average or good but not great quarterback, there must be reasons for that.
So, we invited The 33rd Team’s Sam Monson, PFF’s Bradley Locker, and Pack a Day Podcast’s Andy Herman to discuss why Jordan Love doesn’t receive the recognition from the NFL world that his advanced numbers indicate he should. And there are at least three big reasons for that.
Non-elite parity
The first big point is the balance between second tier quarterbacks. Beyond Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, and Matthew Stafford, you can make strong cases for many players. Depending on how their seasons come and go, the ranks will go slightly up and down.
“Once you get beyond the top 4-5 guys, the next 10 are somewhat interchangeable or in the eye of the beholder,” said Sam Monson, of the 33rd Team. “Any of them are capable of having an elite season or having a relative down year. Love suffers a bit because he’s not [Brett] Favre or [Aaron] Rodgers, but he’s very good and capable of elite play. I think he probably is a bit underrated, but I also think the gap between QB6 and QB16 isn’t big in the NFL at the moment.”
There are fair points, though, about why a player like Caleb Williams with a significant worse production would be ahead, since it’s an individual evaluation.
“After those top 5, there is a tier of QB’s,” said Andy Herman, from Pack a Day Podcast. “Dak, Herbert, Love, Maye, Goff, Caleb, Darnold, Purdy, maybe Daniels and Lawrence, where if they play to the top of their capabilities, they can be a top 5 quarterback in the league. And if they have a down year, they could get bumped down into that 12-14 range. I think Love is in that tier. My issue is I think he’s more towards the top of it than the bottom, and my biggest issue is putting Caleb over him right now. There’s just no argument other than projection for that to be the case.”
Ugly mistakes, even if they aren’t many
After a shaky start in 2023, where Jordan Love could barely spend a full game without making a bone-headed mistake, the quarterback has been pretty solid taking care of the ball. Last year, he threw just six interceptions. His turnover-worthy play rate each year as a starter has been 2.6%, 2.7%, 2.7%. That’s great for any quarterback in the NFL.
But when Love does make mistakes, they usually look bad. You’ll remember his pick-six against the Los Angeles Rams two years ago, for instance. Fair or not, those plays affect people’s perception about his game.
“Love has a tendency to throw almost nonsensical, comical interceptions,” said Bradley Locker, from PFF. “Those receive more eyes on social media, and thus more flak from opposing fanbases. But the reality is that Love has actually been fairly mistake-avoidant, tying for the fifth-lowest turnover-worthy play rate in 2026 during a dominant season.”
Lack of team success
We’re not doing QB wins here, but we also know people do. And a lot of it. Especially in such a competitive, results-based market like the NFL. Since Jordan Love took over as a starter in 2023, the Packers have made the playoffs every year. But Green Bay was the seventh seed in each of them, hasn’t won the NFC North, and has had only one playoff win. The lack of victories in January brakes the hype over the talent of the roster.
“While Love dominated Dallas in 2023 and looked strong against the Bears in 2025, he’s also had some clunkers interspersed,” Locker argues, “which have contributed to Green Bay not advancing.”
How can Love and the Packers earn more respect
According to Andy Herman, Love may get more credit if a combination of factors happen. First, Love needs to stay fully healthy after missing games in each of the past two years. Also, head coach Matt LaFleur must give him more volume, to actually play him like a top QB. And finally, the team needs to win more in the postseason.
“If those things happen and Jordan continues to play with the same level of efficiency, to me, he’ll be either at the top of that second tier, or even higher,” Herman added. “Jordan will get to go prove for himself where he deserves to be ranked.”
Jordan Love should probably receive more flowers based on how well he’s played since taking over from Aaron Rodgers. Ultimately, though, it’s up to him and to the Packers to force their way into national headlines. And those answers won’t come early in the season.