As much as the national media would like you to think different, no one truly knows how things have gone in Green Bay the past few years. Despite rumors of difficult relationships with young receivers and frustrations with the coaching staff no one outside that locker room can speak to Aaron Rodgers presence within the culture.
We don’t truly know what Rodger’s teammates think of him and his pending decision. What we are learning more and more every day is that many Packers have a strong belief in Jordan Love.
Love’s draftmate AJ Dillon became the latest Green Bay Packer to go on record, talking to The Spun, to share his belief in the young quarterback.
“I will say this about him — the way he’s approached the whole situation over the last couple of years, it speaks to the type of character that he has. He’s never out here complaining or taking to Twitter. He’s a leader in his own right — through his actions, showing up every day.”
Now before someone screaming on ESPN takes that quote and tries to tell you that the complaining or talking on Twitter part is a shot at Aaron Rodgers, know that Dillon followed this quote by speaking to the overall talent on the roster.
“Regardless, we’ve got in my opinion the most talented guy ever to play the game in Aaron Rodgers and an up and coming guy who just hasn’t been able to put his talent on full display in Jordan Love. Definitely two great guys and guys that you love to catch the ball from or get the handoff from.”
This comes not long after Dillon’s backfield partner, Aaron Jones, shared similar feelings.
“Jordan Love is ready, Jordan Love will be that guy. He made a huge jump this year at OTAs, we could see it and it just kept snowballing, snowballing, snowballing. You can tell he wants to play, he’s itching to play. When his time comes, he’s going to be ready. I think he’s going to be that guy.”
Do any of these comments mean that Love is set to be a superstar? No. But NFL stars don’t usually go out of their way to support a young quarterback in the way Dillan and Jones have if they don’t truly believe it. Many mocked Tyreek Hill for his comments on Tua Tagovailoa upon arriving in Miami. Then we watched Tua become one of the league’s most efficient quarterbacks leading one of it’s best offenses before dealing with injury issues.
Aaron Rodgers has surely been a great teammate throughout his time in Green Bay and there is a never ending list of players that would attest to that. But just like any situation, age and time can change dynamics. Although Rodgers may still be a great quarterback the makeup and culture of this team might mean it’s for this change. If many of Love’s young teammates believe in him as much as they say they do, Packer fans should be beaming with confidence if the team decides to move on from Rodgers.
