Paul Bretl | 5/29/2025
GREEN BAY, Wis. — At the end of the 2024 season, there were two particular items that Matt LaFleur highlighted as to-do list items this offseason for Packers’ quarterback Jordan Love. One was a continued emphasis on footwork, which always seems to be a focal point, and the other was on being a more vocal leader.
Love’s leadership on this Packers team has never been in question. He’s well-respected, and when he speaks, the team listens. But now, as he enters his third season as the starter, LaFleur wants more of that from Love, and his teammates have already noticed a difference.
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“He’s already doing that,” said Josh Jacobs after Wednesday’s OTA practice. “He’s comfortable, and what I mean by that is, he understands this offense in and out, he understands defenses, so now he’s at the point where he can just play and really be who he is. But he definitely has been more vocal, whether it’s at practice or even in the meetings, man. If he sees something he doesn’t like, he’s speaking up.”
Earning a big contract or just being the quarterback doesn’t necessarily make someone a high-end leader. Like anything, that’s a learned trait that is developed over time with experience. Over the last two years, as Love has stepped into that franchise quarterback role, he’s grown as a leader, and he’s worked hard on that aspect as well. Being more vocal is now the next step in that process.
“That’s always important,” Love said about leading from the quarterback position, “especially at the quarterback position, to be the leader of the team. You’re the voice in the huddle speaking with all the guys. So that’s always something I’m trying to improve on, get better at, just be more comfortable being a vocal leader. But it’s definitely something I’ve put a lot of work in since I’ve been here, trying to step out of my comfort zone and speak up. I think the more comfortable you get with the guys, the easier that all becomes.”
During his tenure with the team, and particularly as the starting quarterback, Love has built up that emotional bank account within the Packers locker room through the example he sets with his work ethic and the relationships he’s developed. So when there needs to be a tough conversation or critiques need to be made, Love’s feedback can be well-received because of the equity he’s built up.
Taking football out of the equation and thinking about this from our own perspectives, advice is almost always going to land better when coming from someone we respect and have a strong relationship with. Love has built that foundation, which allows him to be more vocal as needed.
“He’s been speaking a lot more in meetings from my perspective,” said Jayden Reed. “I’ve been seeing it. He’s been speaking on plays, on how to do things the correct way and how he wants things. That’s tremendous for us to be all be on the same page, so he’s been doing a great job with that.”
The balance for Love, as he continues to work on being more vocal, is still staying true to who he is. When it comes to being a good leader at any job, authenticity is a crucial element. Being more vocal doesn’t mean yelling either. Instead, it’s about being willing to speak up when something isn’t done correctly or exactly how Love wants it to be done. It’s voicing your opinion when the standard that’s been established isn’t being upheld, along with being able to have tough conversations, and how that message is delivered from Love in those various scenarios is how he can remain authentic.
“I think at the end of the day, with leadership and speaking vocally to guys, you gotta be yourself,” added Love. “You never want to be forcing things or sound like a message isn’t coming from you, it’s coming from somebody else. It’s always trying to find that balance of being yourself but I think that biggest thing is just having those hard conversations with guys when something needs to get done and it might not be getting done the right way; might not be handling business the right way.
“Just having those hard conversations and not calling guys out, but just having those conversations with them on the side, that type of leadership. I think I get a long way all these guys. I can speak with them very well. That’s never been a problem. I think it’s just holding people accountable with everything they do.”
Love has led this Packers team since taking over as the starter two seasons ago, and while the current focus is on being more vocal as a leader, that’s just the next phase in that development process. Along with Love, this is a Packers team that has a number of other leaders on the team, including Josh Jacobs, Xavier McKinney, Kenny Clark, and Rashan Gary, but any sort of messaging hits differently when it’s coming from the franchise quarterback.
“Me and him also talked about being The Guy,” said Jacobs. “You’re the quarterback, you’ve got to be that guy. I’m not saying he’s not that guy, because he definitely is, but just on a more vocal level. He’s definitely stepped up a lot this year. I’ve definitely seen a big change in him.”