Jordan Love is entering his third year as the Green Bay Packers’ starting quarterback. Last season, he posted a 3.4% turnover-worthy play rate under pressure. Despite playing through knee and groin injuries, it was the second-best mark by a Packers quarterback in the past decade.
However, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for Love. He occasionally struggled with accuracy and processing, and his big-time throw rate dropped from 5.6% in 2023 to 3.5% last season. Love’s turnover-worthy play rate also rose slightly by 0.1%. Still, it’s worth noting that Green Bay’s receiving corps finished with the third-most drops in the league, which didn’t help his numbers.
It’s hard to call Love’s 2024 season a true step back, given that he was playing through injuries, LaFleur had to tweak the playbook, and Green Bay’s receivers couldn’t hold on to the ball. Love ranked ninth in EPA/play, seventh in adjusted EPA/play, and 10th in EPA combined with completion percentage over expected.
Love also finished fifth in adjusted net yards per pass attempt despite being among the top three quarterbacks in drop rate. He may not have been as productive as he was in 2023, but the numbers and the circumstances tell a more complicated story. Still, there’s plenty of room for growth.
“I mean, what is a step back, is what I’d ask?” Love said when presented with the idea that he regressed last season. He elaborated:
You know what I mean? Everybody has different opinions, things like that. You gotta block that stuff out. It’s all about the goals of the team at the end of the day. I’d say we won more games than we did the year before. That’s why I ask people, what is a step back?
Like I said, everybody has opinions, things like that. Try to block that out and focus on doing me and being the best player I can be, like I’ve talked about, and go forward. But at the end of the day, personal stats, things like that, that’s all in the back. You gotta focus on the goals of the team, first and foremost.
With that in mind, how can Jordan Love improve in 2025?
Intermediate Concepts
On intermediate throws (10 to 19 yards) this past season, Love had just one big-time throw (BTT) and six turnover-worthy plays (TWP), down from nine BTTs and five TWPs in 2023. Some of that falls on the receivers, who often struggled to separate or simply hang on to the ball.
However, the issue goes beyond just execution.
Tom Brady has pointed out problems with Green Bay’s intermediate concepts in the past, saying they weren’t detailed enough. So, while Love has things to work on, the coaching staff must also raise their game.
Intermediate passing game issues all season.
Here's 3rd-and-8, you're getting two-high zone coverage. Loves gets to the top of his drop and his best OL loses badly.
No one is open anyway down the field anyway. Love wants to get underneath but sees color flash in his face. pic.twitter.com/aMHwC8Cxy4
— Peter Bukowski (@Peter_Bukowski) January 21, 2025
Footwork
Love’s footwork improved last year. The Packers emphasized such improvement entering the season, and it has paid off.
“But what we’re making a big emphasis on is [having] perfect feet,” LaFleur said last offseason. “Making sure the guys go through their progressions, having perfect feet. And when they’re not, they hear about it. I just think, again, offseason, where we’re at, new defense, it’s important for them to understand the drops that we want them to take, so we implemented it.”
Former Packers quarterback coach Tom Clements pointed out that the offseason is a great time to focus on the fundamentals. With no defenders rushing in, quarterbacks have the perfect opportunity to work on their footwork and movement in the pocket.
“It’s just more fundamental things,” Clements said last year. “Footwork and how he moves in the pocket, and we’re working on the drills, working on throwing a lot of routes on air because you can’t have defenders out there at this point. It’s just presence in the pocket, when to move, when not to move, things like that.”
While Love has made strides with his footwork, it’s still part of the reason he occasionally misses routine throws and sometimes struggles with accuracy. It’s also fair to point out that his knee injury likely had a noticeable impact on his play, and with a healthy offseason, he’ll probably be sharper in 2025. Still, there’s room to clean things up.
A healthy Jordan Love should open up more opportunities for under-center play-action looks in the offense. On top of that, Love ranked just 53rd in scramble rate last year, so a fully healthy version of him could add another level of dynamism on off-schedule plays. Still, his work in intermediate concepts and footwork are the two biggest areas he’ll need to improve to reach his full potential this season.