Now that Aaron Rodgers has informed the Pittsburgh Steelers of his imminent arrival, fans are turning to the schedule to forecast the season. One of the first matchups that immediately jumped out is the Green Bay Packers’ visit on Sunday Night Football in Week 8. And Rodgers’ replacement is seemingly excited to play against his former tutor.
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When Rodgers was traded to the New York Jets in April of 2023, the Packers underwent a massive transition period. All of a sudden, it was Jordan Love who had the keys to the ignition, and while he struggled at first, he eventually took the job and ran with it. Now, in two seasons under Love’s command, the Packers have made it to the playoffs twice in a row.
But Rodgers and Love had a good relationship when they were together. Even though one would eventually take the other’s job, the veteran still mentored the young buck while he rode the bench for the first few seasons. It’s very similar to how Green Bay transitioned from Brett Favre to Rodgers.
Now, ahead of the 2025 season and a Week 8 matchup, Love was caught expressing excitement to face the man he learned so much from.
“It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be awesome. I’m excited for it. I can’t wait to be on different sides, meeting up, and I know we’ll talk pre-game, things like that. And hopefully we can exchange jerseys after,” Love told Jason Wilde of Channel3000.com.
It’s not surprising that he’s excited to face off against Rodgers. Whenever former teammates meet up on different teams, it’s always fun to see what goes down. But it’s easy to tell that Love holds a great deal of respect for Rodgers.
When NFL fans on Twitter noticed Love’s quote, they made fun of his opportunism. They thought he was just saying what he said to be nice.
“That’s like Jake Paul being excited to box Mike Tyson…it’s easy to say when they are one foot in the grave. Not sure Love would be excited if it was rodgers in his prime, and rodgers prior to enjoying his vacations in remote caves,” someone commented.
“I’ll bet he is. It’s like when you get into your 20s and realize that you can finally beat your old man,” another wrote.
That’s like Jake Paul being excited to box Mike Tyson…it’s easy to say when they are one foot in the grave. Not sure Love would be excited if it was rodgers in his prime, and rodgers prior to enjoying his vacations in remote caves.
— Pats Godfather (@PatsGodfather) June 8, 2025
It’s an interesting thing that the fans pointed out. If Rodgers were still looking elite at 41, Love would probably be nervous to face him. But given Rodgers’ struggles since leaving Green Bay, Love might hold a great deal of confidence that he can beat him.
One fan pointed out that due to his injury struggles recently, Love might not even make it to Week 8.
“Jordan will be gone,” they said.
Regardless of what ends up happening, it’s nice to hear that Love is excited to face Rodgers. It should be a fun primetime showdown.
Rodgers was Love’s mentor
While it may have sounded to some like Love is excited to play Rodgers so he can beat him, the statement seemingly came out of goodwill. Later on in the interview, he thanked the legend for being a great mentor while in Green Bay.
“In my time with A-Rod, we had a great relationship. It was awesome being in the same room with him, being able to learn. He was amazing with everything. And I definitely appreciate the way he handled everything on the outside with obviously him leaving and me taking over,” Love said.
It’ll be interesting to see who eventually comes out on top. There are so many other factors that go into a football game, but we often whittle it down to the quarterback matchup. A former master vs. a former protege is the tale of this tape. And while Love is much younger and may be in better form, Rodgers can still turn back the clock from time to time.
