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Jordan Love: 'Obviously Very Great' Aaron Rodgers Rejoined Packers for Training Camp
August 5, 2021
Jordan Love shared the sentiment of many Green Bay Packers fans once Aaron Rodgers communicated his intention to suit up for the team for the 2021 NFL season.
"Obviously there's going to be either two options: Either he was going to be back or he wasn't," Love told reporters Thursday. "So yeah, I mean, it's obviously very great to have Aaron back just on this team. Obviously he's a huge presence at the quarterback position and in the locker room as well and then as a leader on the team, so it's great to have him back."
As the uncertainty about Rodgers' future lingered, Love was certainly in a difficult position.
"Actually, the whole time I had to convince myself that I was going to be the starter," the 2020 first-round pick said. "That's the only way you can look at that situation. I feel like if you don't, you won't be ready. That's how I looked at it the whole way—is in my head, he wasn't coming back, I've got to get myself ready to be the starter."
Only Rodgers knows how close he was to either retiring altogether or forcing his exit from Green Bay. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on July 26 that he and the Packers struck an agreement that resolved his status for 2021 and opened the door for his departure in 2022.
The situation may have worked to Love's benefit, too.
It wouldn't have been ideal for the 22-year-old if he replaced Rodgers after the fanbase came to believe the Packers effectively forced the legendary quarterback out. Whether fair or not, Love would be perceived as some as a bit of a usurper.
Packers fans didn't exactly roll out the red carpet for Rodgers when he succeeded Brett Favre in 2008.
Instead, what's shaping up to be an inevitable breakup looks like it will at least end on amicable terms. That would ease some of the pressure on Love once he's handed the keys to the offense.