Jordan Love reveals the most important thing he learned during his years as Aaron Rodgers' backup QB

Jordan Love had a long road between being a first-round draft pick in 2020 and signing a four-year, $220 million extension with the Green Bay Packers in 2024. It took three seasons behind Aaron Rodgers, which included a shaky start in 2021 against the Kansas City Chiefs, and then one season as a full-time starter for Love to found himself as an NFL player.

Obviously, nothing replaces playing time, and you could see during the 2023 season how Love became progressively more comfortable. But being behind a future Hall of Famer certainly helped Love reach what he had to talent to. Perhaps, knowing that things won't be perfect on every play was the most important lesson Love learned from his predecessor.

"Being on the bench for those three years, seeing a season, seeing how Aaron went about it, that's what got me to understand that stuff's not going to be perfect in the NFL," Love told Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer . "You watch one of the greatest quarterbacks ever do it and it's hard for him. If it's hard for him, you know it's hard for everyone out there. It's a team sport. It takes everybody out there on the field doing their job."

There isn't a definitive conclusion about whether it's better for a quarterback to sit or to play right away in the league. For a raw prospect like Love was, though, it's hard to argue that these three years as a backup were highly beneficial.

"I've said it a million times. A lot of quarterbacks in this league are talented," Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said. "They're just not ready for the situation. They don't have the right people around them. It's such a different game, in terms of how much information they have to take in, in order to process and be able to play fast. There are too many examples of guys that have sat for at least some time to learn and then go play. Kirk Cousins, I saw it, I was with him. Geno [Smith] started and didn't do well. Then he sat and came back, he's done pretty well. I think there's a lot of great examples of guys that have become dudes."

Second gear

Jordan Love wasn't bad to start last season. But he undoubtedly got much better down the stretch and was one of the best quarterbacks in football in the second half of last season.

Beyond the entire offense getting together after a tough sequence for so many young pieces, Love himself was more confident to do what he knows.

"My whole mindset kind of switched,” Love said. "Coming off that Raiders game, I was hesitating a little too much. I wasn't trusting myself as much. I would see stuff and just hesitate—I wasn't getting the ball out, playing fast. My mindset switched after that game. Trust everything I see. Play on time. Trust my feet. If the ball's not coming out right now, get a checkdown. Get a completion. Really just trust what I see. Rip the ball. Don't hesitate."

And this different approach started to pay off against the Pittsburgh Steelers, despite the loss.

"Early on in that [Steelers] game, I started really feeling that, started playing well," Love added. "We got in the two-minute situation toward the end where there was a lot of good situational awareness there. I didn't have the outcome I wanted. But I definitely felt that confidence in myself keep picking up. I was playing fast and getting the ball out and playing on time."

Now, Jordan Love is under contract with the Packers through 2028. Meanwhile, the team traded Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets in what ended up being a compensation of two second-round picks (2023 and 2024), plus a first-round swap in 2023. Rodgers adjusted his deal with the Jets and is now entering a contract season.

Related: Some important details make Jordan Love's contract even better for the Packers