GREEN BAY, WI During the offseason, Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst made three significant quarterback-related decisions. They performed just as no one had anticipated.
He started by selecting Michael Pratt in the seventh round of the draft.
Second, he negotiated a huge contract deal with Jordan Love.
Third, he acquired Malik Willis by trading the Titans a seventh-round draft selection.
Pratt’s lackluster performance following a successful career at Tulane contributed to the need for the Willis trade.
Love’s new agreement was, of course, the major transaction. He has been the most costly and crazy rollercoaster trip anyone could have imagined.
In terms of air yards per attempt, Love is ranked third in the NFL. Despite missing two and a half games due to injury, he is second in completions and third in touchdowns on passes thrown 20 yards or more downfield, according to Pro Football Focus.
Despite throwing 102 fewer passes than Smith, he has equaled Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith for the NFL-worst 10 interceptions. Love has the 33rd-highest interception percentage among the 36 quarterbacks that are eligible.
“There is a balancing act between being aggressive and too aggressive, and the team doesn’t want to take the explosiveness out of Love’s game,” Gutekunst said on Tuesday, echoing what coach Matt LaFleur said the day after a 24-10 defeat to Detroit in which Love threw a crucial pick-six.
Gutekunst stated, “I’m sure he would like to have some of them back, and I’m sure our team would too.” However, I believe there’s a thin line where you’re feeling it out when you can make plays like he does.
Because of how many times he has started, he is still a relatively young player. I’ve always believed that it takes players 20 to 26 games to truly get into their groove, and I believe he’s now in that range as well.
Over his career, Love has started 25 games.
Last season, Love threw 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in nine games. He led the Packers into the playoffs with an Aaron Rodgers-like hot streak in the final eight games, throwing 18 touchdowns to one interception.
Expectations for this season were raised by the incredible second half of the season and the team’s dominating playoff performance against Dallas. The $220 million contract deal that momentarily put him at the top of the NFL’s salary scale also did the same.
Rather, Love’s stats from nine weeks (seven starts) this season—15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions—far too closely resemble the same point in 2023.
“I assume that my expectations for him are the same as those for every athlete. to continue working and prioritizing the team,” Gutekunst stated. He manages our football squad just the way we want him to. His ability to make plays and make an impact in this league is evident to you all. He is living up to all of my expectations.
He has a lot on his plate, and we have big expectations here. Indeed, we firmly believe that he is the best person to accomplish it.
Amazingly, Willis is as much of the reason the Packers are 6-3 as Love is.
Willis started and defeated the Titans and Colts while Love missed two games due to a knee ailment. Willis led the game-winning drive after Love left the game due to a groin injury at Jacksonville.
Willis threw 66 passes during his two years in Tennessee. He finished with three interceptions, zero touchdowns, and 35 for 300 yards. He has thrown 39 passes in Green Bay’s half-season. With zero interceptions and three touchdowns, he finished 29 for 380 yards.
“You have to give Malik and our coaching staff a lot of credit for their excellent work in preparing him and creating a strategy that worked for him,” Gutekunst stated. Simply said, I’m rather proud of him.
We knew the player, of course. We were aware of the skill set and found the potential to win with both arms and legs to be really appealing. For me, getting to know him is the cool part. He is a wonderful child who perfectly embodies our values here.
Willis has put the Packers in a strong position to qualify for the postseason. For the Packers to qualify for the playoffs, Love will be crucial.
Love has the longest streak in the NFL right now, having thrown an interception in each of the seven games this season. No matter how often Gutekunst and LaFleur discuss balancing acts and delicate lines, it must end.
Love has a 4.17 percent interception rate. Since 2009, no quarterback has advanced to the postseason with an interception rate of 4.0 percent or more, according to Stathead. No quarterback with an interception rate of even 3.80% has won the Super Bowl in the previous 40 years.
Even if Love has back to his clumsy ways, Gutekunst claims he is not concerned.
“It depends on your perspective,” Gutekunst stated. “He is here every day. We see his methods, his concentration, and his actions.
Every interception is a little different, in my opinion. It doesn’t really worry me. It must improve. We all know that, I believe. On the other hand, I’m not too worried. I think it’s only a matter of time given the way he works and approaches things.
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