The Green Bay Packers were surprising NFL Playoffs contenders last season. After trading Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets, many doubted that they would be any good. The 2022 Packers finished 8-9 and missed the postseason. Surely they would take a step back without their four-time NFL MVP, right?
Jordan Love, though, was better in 2023 than Rodgers was in 2022. He also put together the best first season by a starting quarterback in Packers history.
Not only that, but Love also led Green Bay to a 9-8 record and a spot in the NFL Playoffs. As an encore, he also led the Packers to a 48-32 upset victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Wild Card Weekend.
Having answered the question about how good he and the team could be, the only question remaining is how much to pay Love going forward.
The Green Bay Packers Gave Jordan Love a Very Young Group of Pass Catchers
There single right way to build a team roster in the NFL, but there are some things that are generally common practice. When a team has a new, young starting quarterback, they typically will make sure he has a veteran or two in his wide receiver group. For example, Rodgers had Donald Driver to throw to in his rookie year, along with other veterans.
Even the Chicago Bears went out and got Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen for their new rookie quarterback, Caleb Williams.
Green Bay, though, decided that their team was going to grow and develop together, and they chose to give Love a pass catching group composed entirely of first and second-year players. The lack of experience among this group of players was another reason many doubted the Packers last season, but they surprised many people on their way to becoming one of the most balanced units in the NFL:
As seen above, Jayden Reed led the team in both receptions and receiving yards while tying Romeo Doubs for the team lead in touchdown receptions. Christian Watson had the fourth-most receiving yards and the second-highest number of touchdown receptions on the team despite missing eight games.
Tight end Luke Musgrave missed six games with a lacerated kidney, but still managed to break the Packers record for receptions by a rookie tight end.
Obviously, Green Bay is loaded with a ton of young talent at wide receiver and tight end, but there is one specific player that Love thinks will have a bigger role this upcoming season.
Green Bay Packers Quarterback Jordan Love Predicts Jayden Reed Will Have a Bigger Role in 2024
As stated above, Reed either led or tied for the lead on the Packers’ roster in all major receiving categories. He also happened to have one of the best rookie seasons in franchise history:
With a year of NFL experience under his belt, there are even bigger expectations for Reed in 2024, and his quarterback believes he is going to be a larger focus on the offense going forward.
In a recent interview, Love said:
“Obviously you see what happens when he gets the ball in his hands. And then just the progression he’s made throughout the season last year, since when he got here, and then obviously now he’s making even more strides. So he’s a phenomenal player, and obviously I think he’s going to have a bigger role this year.”
Love isn’t the only one who recently had good things to say about Reed. Jaire Alexander said that Reed reminds him of a young Randall Cobb, only better.
If Reed does indeed take the leap everyone thinks he will, the Packers could be in for a special year.
