Jordan Love’s welcome to Green Bay was nothing more of a shock. Imagine coming in as the kin to a prime Aaron Rodgers when he was expecting a help in a WR and soon enough replacing the veteran too. But Jordan Love’s rise hasn’t been some polished, PR-ready fairytale. The Packers’ HC Matt LaFleur isn’t hiding from the truth as he flat-out admitted it: things got bumpy. The chemistry took time. The wins weren’t always there. But the important part is the ride-or-die factor, and Matt is sticking with his guy in 2025.

“I think Jordan’s come along nicely. It started off a little rocky,” LaFleur said on The Pat McAfee Show after Round 1 of the NFL Draft. “I feel, we were all just trying to get adjusted together. Myself, as a play-caller and the HC. Him, just getting his feet wet. But I think he’s done a nice job. I think he’s fall through a lot of adversity first year that 3 -6.

“I was thinking, ‘Are we going to win anymore games?’ But we went on a run. We beat some pretty good teams at the end of the year. Went to Dallas and had a pretty strong performance there. Unfortunately, fell short to the Niners but I think if you look at last year, just what happened week 1, definitely took a toll on him throughout the duration of the season and he battled through a lot of things but I’m proud of just the guy that he is and how he leads. I think there’s more out there for him.”

With the playoff push. The shock win in Dallas. 48-32. That was the first postseason W since ’82 without Brett Favre or AR under center. The 49ers ended the story, again. But the message was clear—Love can punch back.

And that matters, because the bar’s different now. Love’s no longer a developing quarterback. He’s the quarterback. He’s on a $220M deal. The film room isn’t about potential anymore—it’s about production. And LaFleur is demanding more.

Not just sharper footwork or better reads, he wants Love to know when not to play hero ball. Because here’s where it gets tricky. LaFleur loves Love’s confidence, especially his willingness to launch deep. But he’s also waving the caution flag for the old-school gun-slinger in Love.

“It can be a positive. I think you gotta harness it. Jordan wants to throw it (the ball) down the field, which I appreciate. I said [to him], ‘You gotta earn the right to throw it down the field.’ So, you gotta make the easy ones, and take the ones that are there. It’s crazy how this league has evolved and you see a lot of soft shell, two-safety defenses, that’s why we leaned a little bit on the running game and tried to stay ahead of the sticks and be in those favorable situations.

“But I kinda like that mentality because I’m not coaching that. So, there’s gonna be plays made that we’re not necessarily coaching, it’s just that you gotta try to be calculative with those risks.”

The NFL isn’t giving up deep shots for free anymore, that’s why Green Bay leaned heavier on the run game—to stay out of third-and-long, avoid unnecessary risks, and stay on schedule. But, his message is clear: Don’t force a shot just because you can make it. Earn the explosives by taking what’s underneath first. Move the chains. Build rhythm. Then strike. Well, let’s just say, to cut to the chase, he doesn’t want Love to repeat the 2024 season (in some ways). Check out the comparison below first.

Jordan Love’s 2023 vs. 2024 Stats

Rushing Stats Comparison

So, if you can see the pattern from this comparison, it’s there. His passing dipped because he took time under center. The whole narrative of LaFleur asking not to force a throw spurt from there because Love was taking his sweet time before release, costing his production as well.

If that balance clicks, this coach-QB combo could be dangerous. Love showed he can take over games in 2023. In 2024, inconsistency and injuries knocked him off rhythm. But there were still flashes of elite-level play—arm strength, poise, improvisation—and LaFleur sees a guy learning from every rep. Maybe a solid weapon was lacking, and now Jordan’s got one in Matthew Golden.

Matt LaFleur echoes Jordan Love’s excitement on Matthew Golden

Green Bay finally broke a 23-year drought and took a wide receiver in the first round. And it wasn’t just fans throwing confetti. Inside the Packers’ locker room, Jordan Love’s gotten hyped up.

Head coach Matt LaFleur didn’t need a press release to spell it out. He hopped on The Pat McAfee Show the morning after the draft and dropped a gem about Love’s instant reaction: “Adding a guy like Golden, I know (Jordan Love) was ecstatic,” LaFleur said. “I Facetimed him last night, he was just, ‘Uh, I gotta get my arm loose.’ It’s tough to throw to a 4.29.”

But that last part? It was not a joke. Golden ran a blistering 4.29 at the Combine. That was the fastest. And it’s precisely what the Packers’ offense has been missing, especially with Christian Watson still recovering from that lingering knee issue.

Plus, Matthew brings that Golden juice with him. His 17 yards per catch last season at Texas wasn’t just padding stats. It was vertical threat 101. Add 9 touchdowns and 987 receiving yards to the mix, and yeah—Love’s already picturing shot plays before camp even starts. And you can’t blame him. Because how do you not get hyped about a guy who can take the top off a defense and turn a slant into a footrace?

Meanwhile, Matt LaFleur’s smile on McAfee’s show said what Packers fans have been waiting to hear for years: the offense isn’t playing it safe anymore. They’re leaning into speed. Into risk. Into big-play potential. Well, it’s about time Lambeau Field got that. So, be ready.