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A detail view of Jordan Love #10 of the Green Bay Packers left hand
Star quarterback Jordan Love was a full participant in Packers practice on Wednesday, a further good sign for the Green Bay signal-caller as Sunday’s Week 1 NFC North showdown with the Lions looms.
Still, as positive as the vibes are coming from Lambeau these days in the wake of the mega-deal for Micah Parsons–who is dealing with a back injury himself–concerns about Love’s health have been looming over the team, too. Last year, Love fought through a knee injury suffered in Week 1 and was not always at his sharpest.
This year, the worry is a left (non-throwing) thumb injury that required surgery in mid-August. Love is still wearing a brace and heavy tape on the thumb.
But Love insisted that the thumb is not giving him problems, even when it comes to running handoffs.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Love said of his protective gear on the thumb, “It’s not limiting.”
Packers Saw Dip in Love’s Play in 2024
Love played in 15 games last season, and the Packers went 9-6 in his starts. He threw 11 interceptions (same as in 17 games in 2024) and saw his yards per game average drop from 244.6 to 225.9 in 2024.
He’s eager to get off to a faster start, especially against a behemoth in the North like the Lions. The hope is that the brace won’t be a problem, and Love is certainly downplaying it.
“It’s never been much of an issue having it wrapped up and things,” he said. “I think, just for me, it’s getting strength back in my thumb has been the biggest thing. But the brace and the tape, nothing has been limiting.”
Jordan Love Will Be Tested When He’s Hit
That could be different, Love allowed, once he gets on the field on Sunday and begins to get hit. Because of the surgery, Love simply has not been hit much since January’s playoff loss to Philadelphia.
“I haven’t hit the ground at all yet, so that’s one of those things that just gotta figure it out at game time,” he said. “Obviously, trying to stay up as much as possible, keep myself protected. But you know, it’s football, you know, there’s going to be instances where I am going to get tackled, go to the ground, things like that. We’ll see how it is. The brace does a good job just protecting my thumb.”
Packers’ Parsons Deal Kept Quiet
Love was also impressed not only that the defense added a player of Parsons’ stature just a week before the season opener, but also that both Parsons and agent David Mulugheta kept the trade news from him until the deal was complete.
“It’s amazing. I had no idea, they did a great job keeping it secret,” he said. “I saw a lot of the rumors and things like that there were floating around out there. Obviously, there was some stuff going on who knows? I don’t know how all the rumors get out.
“I think they did a good job—David didn’t tell me, Micah didn’t tell me. Nobody kept me in on the loop. Got kept out of that one.”
Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney
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