Aaron Rodgers won his first NFL MVP award at 28 years old, his fourth year as a starter. Brett Favre won three consecutive NFL MVP awards beginning at the age of 26, his fourth year as a starter. Jordan Love is 27 years old, about to begin his fourth year as a starter.
If there’s something about that fourth season in the league that’s meaningful, it’s probably just experience. By then, players are used to the travel, training camps, and practices. They know how to navigate the media and locker room. And in the case of Favre, Rodgers, and Love, they’ve all benefited from the continuity of a system. Favre had Holmgren, Rodgers had McCarthy, Love has LaFleur.
The Packers offense probably won’t change very radically from what we saw last year, so for Love, it’s all about tightening up the screws, and drilling into the fine details that separate the “good” quarterbacks from the “great” ones.
Whether Love is currently good or great varies, based on who you ask. I’ve made the argument previously that Love is held to a different, and higher, standard, and the only way for him to silence the doubters is by winning a Super Bowl. But I neglected to mention another path to respect, which is league MVP, and that possibility could be in the cards this year.
Consider how last season ended. Yes, the Packers lost in gut-wrenching fashion to the rival Chicago Bears, but that certainly wasn’t Love’s fault. Missing arguably his best pass catcher, and with a battered defense that was lacking its best player, its interior anchor, and for most of the second half, its top linebacker, Love still managed to throw for 323 yards and 4 TDs (and he nearly threw a game-winning 5th TD).
Also notable, Love had zero turnovers vs the defense that was leading the league in that category (so much for that flimsy narrative about Love’s poor decision-making). Granted it was a small sample size, but Love’s 103.8 passer rating in last year’s playoffs was number one among all quarterbacks.
Looking ahead to the 2026 season, Love and the Packers obviously stand to benefit from the return of several key players, but there are other factors that could also contribute to a potential MVP year for Love.
Protection
No question, the Packers offensive line has been a source of worry for many Packers fans. Jordan Morgan hasn’t exactly met the expectations of a first round pick, Aaron Banks has, at least to date, underperformed his hefty contract, Anthony Belton and Sean Rhyan have been up and down, and Zach Tom has been injured. Beyond that core, there have been questions about a lack of adequate depth. All of those concerns are entirely legitimate. But there are also reasons for optimism heading in 2026.
First, Morgan returns to his preferred position of left tackle, where he thrived in college. Hall of Fame tackle Joe Thomas spent some time at Packers OTAs and came away with a lot of positive feelings about Morgan, who could be the biggest key to the unit’s success. Banks and Tom battled injuries in 2025 and both figure to be healthy heading into the season. Rhyan and Belton are penciled into their new positions, and stand to benefit from a first full offseason of coaching and preparation. In the depth department, the Packers added the versatile Jager Burton, already a fan favorite.
Certainly, this unit will need to level up if Love is to ascend into the MVP conversation, and while fans can reasonably debate the overall talent of the group, what can’t be debated is how much the front office has prioritized the unit. Morgan is a first round pick, Belton is a second round pick. Tom and Banks have the two biggest contracts outside of Love and Parsons, and Rhyan, a third round pick, was just re-signed to a significant deal. Having invested so much in terms of resources, it’s time for this unit to deliver.
Pass Catchers
In the WR room, there were some notable changes this offseason. Wicks was moved, Doubs went elsewhere, and Reed was re-signed. The Packers now have a clear “three” at WR, a situation that more closely echoes the more successful units they’ve had in the past with groups like Adams/Nelson/Cobb and Jennings/Driver/Nelson. Yes, the Packers have some intriguing depth options in Savion Williams, and even, maybe, UDFA, J. Michael Sturdivant. But fans should expect a heavy and consistent dose of Watson/Golden/Reed this year.
Perhaps a more consistent group will benefit Love’s MVP chances. Yes, there are perks to the more socialist approach the Packers employed in recent years – LaFleur and Love could engineer mismatches and opposing defenses didn’t always know where the ball was going. But conversely, a more honed group allows for the development of a deeper chemistry, similar to the telepathy Rodgers had with Adams, Nelson, and Cobb.
From a talent perspective, this is an exceptional group. Watson appears to be past the hamstring issues which caused his career to sputter over his first few seasons and seems poised to step into the alpha WR1 role. Golden’s breakout playoff performance in Chicago had many frustrated fans asking, “*where was that all year?*”. The front office may have been asking the same question, which perhaps facilitated the decisions on Wicks and Doubs. Golden may very well be the WR1a in this offense, similar, at least production-wise, to what Tee Higgins delivers in Cincinnati.
Either way, the writing appears to be on the wall for Golden in 2026 (take note, fantasy football lovers). And of course Reed returns with a new contract, and after having missed much of the 2025 season due to a broken collarbone. This group might go nuclear in 2026 – and that’s without discussing Love’s maybe-best and maybe-favorite target.
Before last year’s Carolina game, Tucker Kraft was on pace to deliver the best-ever season for a Packers tight end. Some pundits were even wondering if he was the league’s best. Obviously, that never came to fruition, but Kraft returns this season, more motivated than ever.
The Run Game
There will never exist a world where Matt LaFleur will abandon his devotion to the run game, and with good reason – a potent run game unlocks the pass, sustains drive, bleeds clock, and wears down a defense. There are so many benefits to the run. However, uncertain circumstances and legal issues surrounding Josh Jacobs could put the Packers’ run game in a precarious position this year, thereby shifting more focus and emphasis to the passing attack.
It’s fair to wonder if LaFleur gleaned anything from the Chicago playoff game where, due to a completely ineffective run game, he was forced to ask more of Love – and Love delivered. Many in Packerland, including some at CheeseheadTV, have implored LaFleur to coach the team he has, to put more on Love’s plate, to stop throwing the ball so often near the line of scrimmage, and to push the ball downfield more.
Whether or not LaFleur makes those adjustments, only time will tell. But the Chicago playoff game, despite the loss, felt like a window to the future, a look at what is possible if and when this team decides to lean on its franchise quarterback, the way the team did with Favre and Rodgers.
The sportsbooks currently have Love with the 9th-best odds (+1500) for league MVP, but a favorable early season schedule could change those odds pretty quickly. If the Chicago game is any indication, this year could be Love’s time, and if the pieces around him settle into place, he could be in the running for MVP, and hopefully, even more.