It’s been one heck of an offseason for Jordan Love.  Since walking off the field on January 20th after losing to the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round of the playoffs,  the life of the 25 year old athlete has been a whirlwind of adulation, fame and hype.  The sports talk shows rave about him.  The network TV promos for the upcoming season feature shots of him.  He is in demand by every podcast host in America.  He is seated courtside at Marquette basketball games.  He was the star of football camps.  His jersey is by far the top seller among Packer players.  Touted by some as a league MVP candidate.  

And then there is the money.   A $75 million signing bonus, the most in league history.  An average annual salary of $55 million, also highest in league history.  More than Josh Allen.  More than Jalen Hurts.  A higher annual average than even Patrick Mahomes.  Love has become unfathomably rich virtually overnight.  

His numbers as a first year starting quarterback were actually a bit better than the first year numbers of his predecessor, Aaron Rodgers.  So naturally he is now being commonly referred to as the equal of both Rodgers and Brett Favre, who will both be in the Hall of Fame.  The Packers are widely regarded as one of a small handful of teams capable of making it to the Super Bowl, and Love is the reason.  His peers around the league voted him number 34 among the NFL’s top 100 players. 

It seems impossible that such attention wouldn’t change a person.  Especially considering Love spent three long seasons as a virtual nobody, languishing on the sidelines as a back-up.   Never being interviewed, seldom getting any notice.  Suddenly that all changed.  He has spent the last seven months listening to everyone talk about how great he is.  And how much greater he will become.   

In terms of personality, at least by outward appearances, the California native seems to be staying on an even keel.  He says all the right things.  He remains humble and always answers questions with “we” instead of “I”.  His teammates indicate they still adore him.  He refers to the team as “hungry”.  He answers media questions with mostly cliche’s, and doesn’t like to elaborate.  He still seems to be adjusting to the spotlight and doesn’t seem to enjoy, nor be completely comfortable with the cameras rolling.  The complete opposite of Rodgers, who answered inquiries with extended, deeply thought out concepts and reasoning. 

Of course, the bottom line is, how will Jordan Love play football this fall?  His play in training camp was uneven.  After declining to practice through the first week while his new deal was being finalized, he looked very sharp at times, going on hot streaks of completions and touchdown throws.  Other times he struggled with accuracy and interceptions.  He almost never had his preferred starting offensive line in front of him, and coaches stuck with mostly vanilla play calls.   

Now comes the time to live up to the hype.  It shouldn’t take long to see how his rapid rise to stardom affects his play.  He will face a Philadelphia Eagles defense Friday night that is loaded with talent.  On the other sideline will be Hurts, one of the quarterbacks challenging him for entry into the ranks of signal-calling elite.  For Love, none of last year’s excuses will apply.  He has four years in the system under his belt, one as a starter.  He has four ascending and talented receivers, and two skilled tight ends to throw to.  He has a former first team All Pro running back to hand off to.  And the O-line should be at least adequate.  He has an offensive-minded head coach, and one of the great quarterback mentors in the game in Tom Clements, in his corner. 

There is every reason to expect that Jordan Love will play well.  He certainly has shown the talent, the poise and the intellect.  The key is to control what’s going on in his own head.  Handling success will be his toughest opponent in 2024.