The Packers haven’t been able to get as many preseason reps out of Jordan Love as they would have hoped. The starting quarterback injured his thumb in the opening exhibition game and ultimately needed surgery to repair it. Luckily for both Love and Green Bay, the injury was to his non-throwing hand, which allowed him to recover more quickly than if it had been his right hand.
Since the procedure, Love hasn’t been a full participant in practices, but this week he took live snaps for the first time clear evidence that he’s moving closer to full strength.
After practice, Love spoke with Kay Adams about his recovery timeline and how he’s managed to stay involved with football activities despite the setback. He credited the fact that the surgery was on his left hand as the main reason he was able to return so quickly.
“If it was my right hand, it’d be a completely different story,” Love admitted. “It feels fine. Right now, we’re just making sure to avoid any contact. I’m a little limited in what I can do, but I’m still able to run 7-on-7s and 1-on-1s with the receivers, so I’m staying active while it heals.”
Naturally, the big question is whether Love will be ready for the regular season opener on September 7, when the Packers face the Lions. On that front, he didn’t leave much room for doubt.
“We’ll be good,” Love said confidently. “We’re rolling Week 1, for sure.”
Even though the expectation all along was that Jordan Love would be healthy in time for Week 1, hearing him personally confirm it is a welcome boost for the Packers. Head coach Matt LaFleur has built a reputation as one of the league’s sharper offensive minds, but there’s no question he’d rather have his starting quarterback running the show than leaning on backup Malik Willis.
Love’s performance last season gave Green Bay plenty of reason for optimism. In 15 games, he threw for 3,389 yards with 25 touchdowns against 11 interceptions, missing a couple of contests early on due to injury. He guided the Packers into the postseason, though their run was cut short by the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card round.
The organization and its fans are hoping 2025 brings a deeper push. While Love’s thumb injury and subsequent surgery in the preseason wasn’t exactly the way anyone wanted to kick off the year, the quarterback himself has shown little concern about lingering effects. With the season opener just around the corner, he seems ready to put the setback behind him and focus on leading Green Bay to bigger things.