Gutekunst: 'I Have a Lot of Confidence in' Jordan Love, Packers amid Rumors

Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst reaffirmed his belief in the overall direction of the franchise amid a 2-5 start with Jordan Love at quarterback.

Gutekunst acknowledged the Packers "haven't had the results we wanted" in their first year of the post-Aaron Rodgers era, per ESPN's Rob Demovsky.

"We'd like the results to come fast, don't get me wrong," he said. "But at the same time, the things that they're going through are important, and they're going through them. How we come out the other side remains to be seen, but I have a lot of confidence in the group and the guys that are coaching them. I think we're all excited to see where we can go this last 10 games."

While nobody was fitting him for a Hall of Fame blazer after three games, Love delivered encouraging returns early on. He threw for 655 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception as Green Bay earned two wins.

The first-year starter has fallen off since then. He has five touchdowns, eight interceptions and a 66.6 passer rating over the last five weeks.

Love's status with the Packers is already the subject of rumors. The MMQB's Albert Breer reported on Oct. 23 the team is "smitten with Love as a person" but less swayed about his quarterbacking abilities.

Gutekunst also spoke somewhat cryptically about Love when he told reporters Wednesday "these are going to be very important 10 games" toward evaluating him.

The Packers signed Love through the 2024 season. The fact they didn't trigger the fifth-year option on his rookie deal was telling, however, considering Gutekunst had said the option "a lot of money for a guy who hasn't played."

Green Bay could cut the 25-year-old in the offseason and save $2.3 million, with $5.5 million and $7 million in dead money on the books for 2024 and 2025, respectively.

The front office obviously hasn't made a judgment on Love yet. Thanks to how his deal is structured, it at least has the opportunity to make a change at QB if it believes one is warranted.