Jordan Love

Jordan Alexander Love (born November 2, 1998) is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Utah State Aggies, where he was named to the second-team All-MWC (2018) and was selected as the MVP of the 2018 New Mexico Bowl. After announcing that he would forgo his senior year of college, Love was drafted by the Packers in the first round (26th pick) of the 2020 NFL Draft. He served as the back-up quarterback to starter Aaron Rodgers for three years, before being named the starting quarterback of the Packers for the 2023 NFL season. During his first season as a starter, Love recorded over 4,000 passing yards and threw 32 touchdowns while leading the Packers to a victory in the playoffs.

Early life and high school career
Love was born in Bakersfield, California, on November 2, 1998. His father, Orbin Jr., was a police officer for the Bakersfield Police Department, while his mother, Anna, worked for the California Highway Patrol. Jordan and his father were close, with Orbin Jr. coaching many of his son's sports teams. After a doctor changed his medication, Orbin's behavior became abnormal and he died by suicide a short time later. Love was 14 years old when his father died; he contemplated quitting football but his mother encouraged him to continue for another year to make sure he was not making a rash decision. Love attended Liberty High School where he played on the football team. Initially quite small in stature, Love served as the backup quarterback for the freshman team. Midway through his junior year, he became the starting quarterback for the varsity team, a position he held for the rest of high school. As a senior, Love passed for 2,148 yards and 24 touchdowns and rushed for 806 yards with eight touchdowns. He led Liberty to the State semi-final that season. A two-star recruit, he committed to play college football for Utah State over Division I FCS offers from Eastern Washington, Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado, and Sacramento State. His only Division I FBS scholarship offer came from Utah State.

College career
Between his freshman year of high school and his first year of college, Love grew 9 in in height and gained 80 lb. He redshirted his first year at Utah State University in 2016. As a freshman in 2017, he played in 12 games and started the final six. He finished the season, completing 129 of 235 passes for 1,631 yards, eight touchdowns and six interceptions. Following his debut at UNLV, he was named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week.

As a sophomore in 2018, Love started all 13 games, completing 267 of 417 passes for a school season record 3,567 yards with 32 touchdowns and six interceptions. He was named the MVP of the 2018 New Mexico Bowl after passing for 359 yards and four touchdowns. His team finished the season with an 11–2 record and ranked No. 22 on the AP poll. Following his sophomore season, he was expected to be a future NFL first-round draft pick.

In 2019, Love returned to Utah State under a new head coach and offensive coordinator. Many teammates from his previous season had graduated, including four starters on the offensive line. Love again started all 13 games, completing 293 of 473 passes for 3,402 yards with 20 touchdowns and a career-high 17 interceptions. His team slid to a 7–6 record with the changes to the roster and coaching staff. Following the end of the 2019 season, Love announced that he would forgo his senior year and enter the 2020 NFL Draft. He completed his college career passing for 8,600 yards, throwing 60 touchdowns against 29 interceptions and rushing for an additional 403 yards and 9 touchdowns.

2020 NFL Draft
Love participated in the NFL Scouting Combine prior to the 2020 Draft. He measured in just under 6 foot 4 inches, 224 pounds and a hand span of 10 and a half inches. During the combine, Love participated in all of the major drills, including recording a 40-yard dash time of 4.74 seconds and a Wonderlic test score of 27. NFL.com graded him as the fifth best quarterback in the Combine and projected that he would eventually become a starting quarterback in the NFL. Analyst Lance Zierlein noted in his assessment of Love that "he has the arm to stick throws into tight windows but needs better eye discipline and anticipation to keep windows open. His size, mobility and arm talent combined with his 2018 flashes could be a winning hand that leads a team into the future or a siren's song of erratic play and unfulfilled potential". Love's measurements and performance at the Scouting Combine were praised and increased interest in him as a high draft pick.

After trading up with the Miami Dolphins, the Green Bay Packers drafted Love in the first round (26th pick) in the 2020 draft, making him the first player from a Group of Five conference to be chosen in that draft. The move shocked draft analysts and the news media. The Packers already had an MVP quarterback in Aaron Rodgers. On July 1, 2020, Love signed his rookie four-year, fully guaranteed contract worth over $12.3 million with a signing bonus of over $6.5 million. It was the first time the 26th pick in the draft received a fully guaranteed contract since the rookie pay scale was changed.

Backup years: 2020–2022
At the beginning of the 2020 NFL season, the Packers listed Love as the third quarterback on the depth chart, behind Rodgers and third year quarterback Tim Boyle. Love was inactive for every game of the 2020 season, both regular season and the postseason. The Packers finished the 2020 season 13–3, earning the number one seed in the NFC. They went on to lose to the eventual Super Bowl champions Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Championship Game.

With Boyle signing a contract with the Detroit Lions, the Packers made Love their second string quarterback behind Rodgers to start the 2021 NFL season. After playing twice in the preseason, Love made his NFL regular season debut in the fourth quarter of a 38–3 loss to the New Orleans Saints on September 12, 2021, in relief of Rodgers. He completed six of eight passes but also lost a fumble. Love made his first NFL start on November 7, 2021, against the Kansas City Chiefs, replacing Rodgers, who had tested positive for COVID-19 four days earlier and was ineligible to play. Love completed 19 of 34 passes for 190 yards, threw one interception, and completed his first NFL touchdown pass to Allen Lazard during a 13–7 loss. With the Packers already securing their spot in the playoffs, Love relieved Rodgers in the second half of the last game of the year against the Lions, where he completed 10 of 17 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown, but also threw 2 late interceptions as the Packers lost 37–30. The Packers finished the season 13–4, losing to the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.

Love was again the second string quarterback behind Rodgers for the 2022 NFL season. He saw limited action in two early season losses and one late season victory. During another late season game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Love replaced an injured Rodgers, completing six of nine passes for 113 yards, with a long touchdown pass to Christian Watson to bring the Packers within one touchdown of tying the game. Love finished the game with a 146.8 passer rating but was unable to complete the comeback, with the Packers losing 40–33. The Packers finished the year 8–9, missing the playoffs for the first time in four seasons.

Starter: 2023–present
During the offseason, there was much speculation from the national media that Rodgers would retire or be traded. After Rodgers announced his intention to play in the 2023 NFL season for the New York Jets, the Packers completed a trade sending Rodgers to New York for draft picks. In doing so, the Packers also named Love the starting quarterback for the 2023 season. In lieu of exercising his fifth-year option, he signed an incentive-laden one-year contract extension worth up to $22.5 million, covering the 2024 season.

In Love's first start of the 2023 season, he threw for 245 yards and three touchdown passes, as the Packers beat the Chicago Bears 38–20. With that start, Love became only the third different quarterback to start Week 1 for the Packers since 1993, after Brett Favre and Rodgers. Two weeks later, Love completed his first come-from-behind victory with a 18–17 win over the Saints, after the Packers trailed by a score of 17–0 in the fourth quarter. In Week 11 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Love threw for over 300 yards in a game for the first time in his career, leading the Packers to a 23–20 victory. The next week, in Love's first start during a Thanksgiving Day game, he threw for 268 yards and 3 touchdowns to lead the Packers to a 29–22 upset victory over the Lions. In the penultimate game of the season, the Packers secured a victory against the Minnesota Vikings, bringing their record to 8–8. A victory in the last game of the season at home against the Bears would guarantee a berth into the playoffs. Love led the Packers to a 17–9 victory by passing for 316 yards and two touchdown passes, finishing off his first season as the Packers' starting quarterback with 4,159 passing yards, 32 touchdown passes against 11 interceptions, and completing 64.2% of his passes.

In his playoff debut against the No. 2 seeded Dallas Cowboys, Love threw for 272 yards and three touchdowns, finishing the game with a near-perfect passer rating of 157.2. With this performance, the Packers became the first No. 7 seed to win a playoff game, winning 48–32. Against the top-seeded 49ers, Love completed 21-of-34 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns, but threw two interceptions, one of which was a game-sealing pick as the Packers lost 24–21.

Personal life
In late 2019, Love and two of his college football teammates were cited for possession of marijuana. The charges were later dropped, with prosecutors citing a lack of evidence for the dismissal. Love started dating professional volleyball player Ronika Stone in 2020; Stone has a connection to professional football, with her father Ron Stone playing in the NFL for 12 seasons. Love and Stone announced their engagement in June 2024.