Jordan Love Praised by AJ Dillon: Packers 'Would Run Through a Wall for Him'

Green Bay Packers starting quarterback Jordan Love already "earned the trust of the locker room" after backing up Aaron Rodgers over the last three seasons, according to running back AJ Dillon.

"I think he definitely has all the intangibles," Dillon said on SiriusXM NFL Radio (h/t Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk.) "He's earned the trust of the locker room. Guys respect him. Guys wanna play for him. Guys wanna help him as much as they wanna help themselves. Nothing's perfect in football, everybody knows that. I think he's got a lot of support. Everybody would run through a wall for him."

Love, whom the Packers traded up for to select 26th overall in 2020, has made 10 appearances for the Packers to date. Rodgers, whom the Packers traded to the New York Jets this offseason, followed a similar path by backing up Brett Favre for three years prior to earning the starting job in 2008.

The Packers drafted Love with the 26th selection of the 2020 NFL Draft. Dillon was selected in the second round, 36 picks later.

Dillon told Packers.com's Wes Hodkiewicz in June that he and Love bonded in the months leading up to the draft over their shared love of Pokémon and sports cards. Once they were both in Green Bay, the two became closer as they faced the strangeness of entering the NFL during the COVID-19 pandemic, with virtual offseason activities leading to games in empty stadiums.

"Aside from a teammate, I'm a big fan of his. I want him to be great," Dillon told Hodkiewicz. "I want him to go out there and do everything he's ever dreamt of, and he can."

Dillon added that Love had established himself as a leader during this summer's OTAs.

"He's been here since April, before we were even able to throw around the football and we were just running, running through drills," Dillon said. "Everybody respects him. Everybody is listening when he's talking and it's really cool."

In addition to sports cards and pandemic practices, two teammates shared one more thing in common: learning from Aaron Rodgers. Dillon established himself as a top-two running back alongside Aaron Jones after catching 34 passes on 37 targets in 2021.

Now, Dillon is ready to back Love as the team's next first-string signal caller. That kind of team support will be vital for Love, who has just one NFL start under his belt, as he looks to step into Rodgers' shoes next season.