Bill Simmons: Jordan Love Has Replaced Justin Herbert as NFL’s ‘Football Nerd King’
Football Nerd King” isn’t an official NFL title. It could be. But for now, it’s just a bit — and Bill Simmons thinks the crown has quietly changed hands.
The Ringer host has spent years handing that unofficial designation to Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, praising his arm talent and advanced-metric profile regardless of how the Chargers actually finished. On this week’s episode, Simmons floated a new name: Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love.
“Has this been a subtle shift that we didn’t acknowledge, but it’s happened?” Simmons asked, according to Yahoo.
ESPN’s Mina Kimes said the question felt like a setup. Then she answered it anyway, and she landed on Love.
“He’s a really good quarterback. He has this reputation of being this incredibly irresponsible interception machine that’s not substantiated by reality. Actually, not a high interception rate. I think bottom 10 in football.”
Kimes posted on X about the exchange: “Move over, Justin Herbert. Jordan Love might be the new football nerd king.” —
Move over, Justin Herbert. Jordan Love might be the new football nerd king. pic.twitter.com/dkXCgNj9HJ
— The Ringer (@ringer) August 5, 2026
Why the numbers back up the case
Love’s reputation took a beating early in his Green Bay tenure, built on a handful of ugly, high-visibility turnovers. Kimes argued that reputation hasn’t matched the box score in years.
“The problem is that when he does turn it over, it looks so unbelievably goofy that it sticks in people’s minds… but he doesn’t,” she said.
The 27-year-old threw 23 touchdowns against just six interceptions in 2025 — a career-best 101.2 passer rating, sixth-best in the NFL. His interception rate sat at 1.4%, a 3.83-to-1 TD-to-INT ratio that backs Kimes’ point directly.
Green Bay finished 9-8-1 and reached the playoffs for a third straight year, though the season ended painfully — a Wild Card loss to Chicago after blowing a 21-3 lead. Love still threw four touchdowns and posted a 103.8 rating that night. (Note: the original ClutchPoints report listed the record as 9-5-1; independent reporting confirms 9-8-1, which is used here.)
The analytics case, stat by stat
Per ClutchPoints’ reporting, Love ranked No. 2 in RAW, No. 3 in QBR, No. 4 in PAA and No. 6 in EPA last season — the exact metrics Simmons has used to crown Herbert in past years.
PFF’s grading tells a similar story: an 88.5 overall grade, fifth among 43 qualified quarterbacks, with 27 big-time throws against just 14 turnover-worthy plays.
| Category | Jordan Love, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Record | 9-8-1, made playoffs |
| Passer rating | 101.2 (No. 6 in NFL) |
| TD – INT | 23 – 6 |
| PFF overall grade | 88.5 (5th among qualified QBs) |
| The Athletic QB Tiers rank | No. 10, Tier 2 (up from No. 13) |
Love’s stock is rising beyond one podcast
Mike Sando’s annual QB Tiers survey for The Athletic — built on input from 50 coaches and executives — placed Love at No. 10 this offseason, his first time cracking the top 10. He received two Tier 1 votes and 37 Tier 2 votes.
One NFL defensive coordinator’s assessment, relayed by The Athletic, called Love smart at the line and capable of extending plays — not yet a “consistent killer,” but someone a team could win a Super Bowl with.
What this means for Herbert’s case
None of this is a knock on Herbert, who remains in Tier 2 at No. 6 — still ahead of Love in that vote. Simmons’ point wasn’t that Herbert declined. It’s that Love caught up in the exact areas Simmons used to justify Herbert’s crown: efficiency and expected points over box-score noise.
Whether “Football Nerd King” sticks as Love’s new label is beside the point. After three straight playoff appearances and a career year, the numbers crowd has stopped treating Love as an interception-prone question mark.
