Jordan Love Ready to Step Out of Aaron Rodgers’ Shadow in First Meeting

As Jordan Love prepares to face his former mentor Aaron Rodgers, now with the Steelers, the Packers aim to end a winless streak in Pittsburgh dating back to 1970.

Jordan Love Ready to Step Out of Aaron Rodgers’ Shadow in First Meeting

Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love (Image via IMAGO)

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Usually, NFL teams draft a quarterback in the first round so that he can come in and start right away. That wasn’t the situation Jordan Love walked into at the Green Bay Packers.

Love played backup to Aaron Rodgers for the first three years of his NFL career. He didn’t view it as a knock on his skills as a quarterback, but rather as an opportunity to learn from a future Hall of Famer.

This arrangement proved beneficial for Love. He realized that the quarterback position can be played in various ways. Watching Rodgers and emulating his techniques helped in his growth as an NFL shot-caller.

Love’s chance arrived when the Packers traded Rodgers to the New York Jets ahead of the 2023 season. He still harbored lingering doubts because imitating Rodgers in practice and making accurate throws during a live NFL fixture are two different ballgames.

In his first year as QB1, the Packers finished with a 9-8 regular season record and a win over the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs. This was enough for the Packers to tie him down to a long-term contract.

The second year was more of the same, but 2025 has arguably been his best season (so far) to date. Through six games, Love has accumulated a 108.1 passer rating, a 69.3% completion rate, and 10 touchdowns against just two interceptions.

Love and the Packers are set to face off against his former mentor, Rodgers, who now leads the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rodgers has already dismissed the fixture as a ‘revenge game.’ So, how does Love feel about squaring off against the four-time NFL MVP?

I go out there and try to block all that extra noise out and just play my game, and make my own name.

Jordan Love said (H/T: Packers official transcript)

How is the relationship between Jordan Love and Aaron Rodgers?

It’s well documented that Rodgers and his predecessor, HOF QB Brett Favre, got off to a shaky start. It took a long time for the ice to melt between the two pros. They eventually grew close in the later years of Favre’s NFL career.

Jordan Love Ready to Step Out of Aaron Rodgers’ Shadow in First Meeting
Jordan Love (Image via IMAGO)

Rodgers, despite the general perception about his attitude, stepped up as a mentor for Love. His influence on the 26-year-old is clear as daylight. When Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was asked to point out the one attribute Rodgers has passed on to Love, he mentioned “footwork.”

Matt LaFleur says Aaron Rodgers was great with Jordan Love in those three years, willing to pass along nuggets of the position. Asked him where he sees Rodgers’ influence in Love, and LaFleur says the footwork. Rodgers helped Love come a long way with his feet.

USA Today‘s Ryan Wood tweeted

While speaking with Packers beat writer Matt Schneidman, Love revealed that Rodgers was “great to me all three years.”

The Packers hold a -3 (-118) odds advantage heading into Sunday’s game. However, history is not in Love’s favor. According to Steelers Now, after the NFL-AFL merger, the Packers are 1-6 in Pittsburgh, and the last Packer victory came in 1970 when HOF Bart Starr was the quarterback.

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