Jordan Love Details What He Learned From Aaron Rodgers Ahead of Steelers Reunion
Jordan Love wasn’t always the $220 million answer at quarterback in Green Bay. Before the record-setting contract extension and the label some have given him as the NFL’s “Football Nerd King,” Love spent three seasons watching from the sideline behind Aaron Rodgers. That apprenticeship is back in the spotlight this week, with the Packers set to face Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers in Thursday’s preseason opener.
Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur said Monday that the plan is for Love to start the game, which kicks off Thursday night in Pittsburgh. Rodgers’ status is murkier. The 42-year-old told reporters this week that he’d play if head coach Mike McCarthy decides he should, but stopped short of confirming anything. He called preseason football “not real football.”
With a possible Love-Rodgers rematch on deck, reporters asked Love this week what he actually took from his years as Rodgers’ backup. His answer went beyond the usual mentorship talking points.
Love Says Pre-Snap Reads Were the Biggest Lesson
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Love said the most valuable thing he picked up from Rodgers wasn’t a throwing mechanic or a specific play call. It was what Rodgers did before the ball was even snapped.
“I think being able to sit behind Aaron, and see just the way he was able to control the line of scrimmage, see pressures make, protection adjustments and pick stuff up, was next level, and it gave me something to build up and to see and be like, man, that’s what I want to be able to do,” Love said, via WFRV’s Carson Fowler.
Reading pressure before the snap and adjusting the protection accordingly is one of the harder skills for a young quarterback to develop. It requires processing the defense’s alignment, communicating with the offensive line, and sometimes changing the play entirely — all in the handful of seconds before the ball is snapped. Love said getting comfortable with that part of the job took real repetition, most of it away from game days.
“It’s something that I had to put a lot of time in at practice and scout team, obviously getting my opportunities in the game to be able to understand what I have to work on and get better at, but it’s definitely the area I’ve probably came the farthest in,” Love said.
Carson Fowler of WFRV posted video of the exchange on X: “Jordan Love on what he feels like he gained the most sitting behind Aaron Rodgers” —
Jordan Love on what he feels like he gained the most sitting behind Aaron Rodgers:
"I think being able to sit behind Aaron, and see just the way he was able to control the line of scrimmage, see pressures make, protection adjustments and pick stuff up, was next level, and it… pic.twitter.com/QGYnSuUSUD
— Carson Fowler (@CarsonFowlerTV) August 11, 2026
From Redshirt Seasons to Franchise Quarterback
Love’s path to this point wasn’t quick. He played in just 10 games and attempted 83 passes across his first two NFL seasons, sitting almost entirely behind Rodgers while the four-time MVP continued playing at a high level. Some around the league wondered whether Love would ever get a real shot, let alone hold onto the job once he did.
He’s answered that question over the past three seasons. Love has led Green Bay to three straight playoff appearances and turned himself into one of the NFL’s highest-paid players along the way, signing his four-year, $220 million extension in July 2024. The path mirrors the one Rodgers himself walked in Green Bay years earlier, sitting behind Brett Favre before taking over.
Now Love gets a chance to line up across from his old mentor, even if only in a preseason game neither team is treating as must-win. Both quarterbacks have publicly downplayed the stakes of Thursday’s matchup, but neither has hidden the fact that squaring off carries some meaning after everything that came before it.
