15 July 2023 , 15:17
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Green Bay Packers star AJ Dillon believes quarterback Jordan Love has already earned the full trust of the locker room.
The Packers are bracing themselves for a new chapter in the 2023 NFL regular season following the exit of Aaron Rodgers. Following a trade with the New York Jets, Rodgers called time on his 18-year career he had previously spent in Wisconsin.
Rodgers was traded to the Jets just days before the 2023 NFL Draft, with the Packers receiving several draft picks but no players. However, some of their roster did follow Rodgers in moving to the Jets in separate deals including Randall Cobb, Allen Lazard and Adrian Amos, among others.
Now the Packers are set to have Love as their starting QB for the new season. The organisation also drafted Sean Clifford in the fifth round with the 149th pick in April’s draft.
With pre-season just a few weeks away, Dillion has spoken about what the future may hold with Love as the starting quarterback. The Packers running back explained how Love already commands the respect of every member of the roster.
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“I think he definitely has all the intangibles,” Dillon said on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “He’s earned the trust of the locker room.
“Guys respect him. Guys wanna play for him. Guys wanna help him as much as they wanna help themselves.
“Nothing’s perfect in football, everybody knows that. I think he’s got a lot of support. Everybody would run through a wall for him.”
Jordan Love was the back-up to Aaron Rodgers in his first three years with the Green Bay Packers (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)The Packers have three pre-season games in August before the NFL season gets underway. There will be games against the Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks before the Week One opener against NFC North rivals the Chicago Bears on September 10.
Matt LaFleur’s team finished 8-9 during the 2022 season and third in the NFC North. The Packers missed the chance to reach the play-offs after losing in Week 17 to divisional rivals the Detroit Lions on January 9.
Work will be already underway to prepare the team for a season of transition following the numerous exits, especially Rodgers. The spotlight will be on Love to perform, in what will be his first year as a starter.
Both Love and Dillon were drafted by the Packers in the 2020 NFL Draft. Love was picked in the first round at No.26 overall, while Dillion was drafted in the second with the 62nd overall pick.