The Green Bay Packers enter the 2025 season in full tensi­­on mode. After a year marked by inconsistency and some second-half promise (Jordan Love climbed from a 51.3 passer rating early to 101.5 later), head coach Matt LaFleur is laying down a clear challenge: this team wants vocal leadership. Maybe, just maybe, they can get it come 2025 season because in Jordan’s words it has been “‘Pretty amazing’ to pick Aaron Rodgers’ brain.”

Even Matt LaFleur wants it to happen. “The next step is just to continue to evolve as a vocal leader… He can really demand a lot,” LaFleur told Packers Wire, hinting that Love’s role now extends beyond the pocket and into rallying the room. That next step? Cementing himself in the Go Green Go LORE. Brett Favre. After him, it was Aaron Rodgers. And now, Jordan. At the same time, LaFleur is sharpening the weapon Love wields. The Packers invested heavily in fighter-speed, grabbing Michigan State’s Matthew Golden in the first round. A prospect LaFleur says Love was “ecstatic” to have him as his weapon. Plus, now, he’s eager to “get my arm loose” and build chemistry with the 4.29-speed deep threat. So, Love now has the tools but the pressure is squarely on him to turn potential into production.

NFL on ESPN lit up the offseason conversation when the SportsCenter crew, including Mike Tannenbaum and Courtney Cronin, dissected the rising expectations for Jordan Love. Tannenbaum didn’t hesitate, “Jordan Love is going to be the best quarterback in the NFC. Let me tell you why.” His reasoning? The addition of Matthew Golden, the 4.29-speed receiver he called “the best receiver in the draft,” is only the start. “You look at what he’s done well — Jordan Love doesn’t get sacked. He can get the ball down the field,” Tannenbaum added. After all, Love was sacked just 30 times last year. Fewer than Jared Goff, who was dropped 34 times or Sam Darnold’s 32 sacks when he last started full-time with the Panthers. Proof that pocket awareness is already a key part of Love’s game

Cronin, meanwhile, zoomed in on the finer details that separate potential from dominance. “The regression — I know that Jordan Love and Matt LaFleur do not want to use that word. Whatever it was last year, a lot of it was injury-based,” she explained, hinting that continuity could be Love’s secret weapon. Cronin pointed to a familiar offensive system, an upgraded pass-catching unit, and a revamped interior offensive line. The Packers’ line ranked 11th in adjusted sack rate last season per Football Outsiders. Solid, but with room to grow. Plus, she reminded viewers of another glaring fix, “You’re probably not seeing receivers drop the ball 25 times next season, right?” With All-Pro running back Josh Jacobs now in the fold, Love’s play-action game might finally get the boost it needs to unlock MVP-level efficiency.

The 2024 numbers showed flashes: 63.1% completion rate, 3,389 yards (19th), 25 touchdowns (tied 10th), and a 96.7 passer rating, with his QBR (69.3) ranking fifth in the league. Good! But not enough in a city still craving a post-Rodgers title run. That’s why Love is already setting a different tone this summer. Instead of reporting with the vets, he showed up early with the rookies. Surrounded by the team’s prized picks: wideouts Matthew Golden and Savion Williams, linemen Anthony Belton and John Williams, and defensive risers like Micah Robinson and Collin Oliver. Now, it’s on QB1 to turn a bold offseason into NFC North dominance.

The ultimate test: Can Jordan Love outshine in the NFC North?

When Robert Griffin III declared on First Take last year, “I would still take five guys before I take Jordan Love,” few batted an eye. The 2025 ESPN Quarterback Rankings seem to quietly echo that sentiment — Love didn’t crack the top 10, instead settling among the honorable mentions with C.J. Stroud. The elite slots went to names like Jalen Hurts, Matthew Stafford, Jared Goff, and even Baker Mayfield. But beneath that slight lies a deeper truth: consistency, or the lack thereof, remains Love’s greatest hurdle. A nagging knee injury in Week 1 derailed his early form, leaving him with 11 interceptions in his first eight games. Yet when he was healthy, the narrative flipped. From Weeks 11 to 15, Love posted an elite 112.7 PFF passer rating with five touchdowns and zero picks, even without a dynamic supporting cast.

With the arrival of Matthew Golden, whose 4.29 speed was the fastest at the combine and 6’4” Savion Williams, Green Bay is finally crafting an arsenal worthy of Love’s arm. Matt LaFleur knows it too. The Packers coach isn’t just banking on Love’s growth. He’s actively safeguarding it. Green Bay learned its lesson in 2024 when injuries early in the season nearly compromised their playoff hopes. Despite Love’s setbacks, the Packers still finished 11-6 before bowing out in the Wild Card round. It’s not a stretch to imagine a healthier Love pushing Green Bay deeper into January. And that’s precisely why LaFleur’s focus will be on maintaining his QB’s health — because a fully fit Love changes the postseason calculus entirely.

If Love stays upright, the Packers’ ceiling rises with him. The NFC North gauntlet, however, remains brutal. Goff’s Lions are fresh off an NFC Championship appearance, and J.J. McCarthy, now leading Minnesota, arrives with first-round expectations. Even Sam Darnold, now helming the Bears after a reinvention arc, is aiming for redemption. For Love to truly seize the NFC North crown, it’ll take more than flashes. It’ll demand sustained brilliance. Love has new weapons. LaFleur has a protection plan. And after a bruising 2024, Love’s ready to settle the debate RGIII sparked—and prove the ESPN panel wrong.