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NFL World Sounds off on Whether Jordan Love Should Replace Aaron Rodgers as Packers QB

Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur isn’t quite ready to replace Aaron Rodgers in the Packers starting lineup, no matter how well Jordan Love played in relief against the Eagles.

If Rodgers’ ribs are feeling better, the Packers coach says the veteran quarterback will start this Sunday against the Chicago Bears. And given that Rodgers loves to troll the Bears, the Packers’ top rival, you’d assume that the quarterback would want to play if possible. Besides, Rodgers probably doesn’t want Love in the lineup, if possible.

But that doesn’t stop the NFL world from speculating about what should happen. Or what they may prefer happen with Rodgers.

First, let’s get to LaFleur’s comments from his Monday press availability. For some background, Rodgers revealed last week that he’s been playing with a broken thumb. Then in his team’s loss to the Eagles Sunday night, Rodgers left the game with a rib injury. Rodgers was in a lot of pain and he had problems breathing.

“It’s just, we’ve got a lot of faith, quite frankly, in both those guys,”LaFleur told reporters. “But you know, Aaron’s the starting quarterback. He’s battled through a lot throughout the course of his career. It’s pretty well documented, and I think he’s been able to play at a pretty high level through a lot of different situations. So again, we’ll take it one game at a time and make the best decision moving forward.”

Jordan Love completed six of nine passes for 113 yards as he relieved an injured Aaron Rodgers against the Eagles. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Some Fans Think Aaron Rodgers Should Sit and Allow Jordan Love to Play

LaFleur’s comments certainly got fans chattering away on social media. One fan wrote: “He knows if Rodgers wants to play he has to play him. Imagine the tantrum Rodgers would have.”

Another wrote: “Can you ask LaFleur to step up and take control? The season is lost, sit Rodgers, let him heal, get some quality looks at love to see if he’s worth keeping.”

Not everybody was down on Rodgers. A Packers podcaster posted:

“Aaron Rodgers actually apologized to Lafleur for not being able to finish the game. Remember, this man came in with a fractured thumb & then injured his oblique pretty bad & still tried to gut it out. No one talks about 12 as being one of the toughest, but he absolutely is.”

The Packers surprised Aaron Rodgers, and not in a good way, in April 2020 when the team selected Jordan Love in the first round of the NFL draft. Rodgers had wanted the Packers to pick some receivers, not his potential replacement. Now, let’s flash forward to the 2022 season. When the team is losing, sometimes the second-team quarterback is the most popular player on the team. Green Bay is 4-8. Rodgers, the two-time defending NFL MVP, is struggling. Plus, he’ll be 39 on Friday.

So why not see what Love can do in a start, especially since the Packers season doesn’t appear to be salvageable. The offense responded to Love, with Green Bay scoring 10 points while he was taking the snaps. Plus, Love completed six of nine passes for 113 yards as he led the Packers to within seven points of the Eagles. However, the Green Bay defense couldn’t stop Philadelphia’s ground game, so Love and the offense never got the chance to try and tie the game.