While many people in and around the NFL were surprised, if not stunned, that the Green Bay Packers traded up to select Jordan Love in the first round of the NFL Draft, receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling was not.
“I said it awhile ago that [our general manager will] never pass up on a good quarterback,” Valdes-Scantling said on The Zach Gelb Show, referring to Brian Gutekunst. “Our quarterback that we have right now is great – the best quarterback to ever throw a football. It’s kind of the same thing when he came in learning under a great quarterback like Brett Favre. Aaron is going to plan on being our quarterback for years to come until he’s ready to stop playing. That’s not a doubt. There’s no competition battle or anything like that; 12 is the guy, and he’s going to be the guy until he’s ready to stop playing football, so we can nip that in the bud now.”
While Love doesn’t figure to start anytime soon, the Packers hope that Rodgers will mentor the 21-year-old and show him how to succeed in the NFL.
“He’s just going to be a great teacher to him, show him the ropes, so when he is done paying football, Jordan can come in and pick up right where he left off because he’s a talented kid,” Valdes-Scantling said. “He has crazy arm strength. I’ve seen him play a couple times before, I’ve seen his highlights and he can make some throws. You can’t pass up on a good quarterback because they don’t come too often.”
Some analysts believe that the Love selection will light a fire under Rodgers, that he’ll be more motivated than ever and will excel in 2020. Valdes-Scantling is confident in Rodgers’ ability, but not because of a draft pick.
“Aaron is going to be who Aaron wants to be,” he said. “He doesn’t need another guy motivating him. He wants to win and that’s always his goal. It has nothing to do with him drafting another quarterback or anything in that nature. He’s a competitive guy by nature and he wants to win. He obviously wants another Super Bowl and that’s always his goal. There’s no added fuel to the fire by drafting a quarterback. We know we have the best quarterback in the world, so there’s no competition when it comes to that.”
It’s possible that the Packers wouldn’t have taken Love if head coach Matt LaFleur didn’t sign off on it. The relationship between Rodgers and LaFleur was a popular topic of debate last offseason, and it’s rearing its ugly head once more.
How exactly is the relationship between quarterback and head coach?
“Obviously you’re going to have some battles when you got a Hall of Fame quarterback and a new head coach,” Valdes-Scantling said. “You have to have some give and take. But for the most part, it’s been great. They have a great balance of how things should operate. They have a great understanding of who does what and how things are ran, but ultimately it’s Matt LaFleur’s team. He’s the head coach. That’s just what it is.”