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Packers' Jordan Love Addresses Status for Season Opener After Thumb Surgery

Liam McKeone

Jordan Love got hurt in the Packers' first preseason game.
Jordan Love got hurt in the Packers' first preseason game. / Kayla Wolf-Imagn Images
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The Packers haven't seen nearly as much of Jordan Love as they'd probably like this summer. Green Bay's starting quarterback hurt his thumb in the very first preseason game of the year, and wound up getting surgery to correct the issue. Fortunately for Love and his team, it was thumb surgery on his non-throwing hand, so it took no time at all for the signal-caller to return to training camp in some fashion. Love hasn't been a full participant since the surgery, but took snaps on Thursday—the furthest sign of his progress yet.

Speaking to Kay Adams after practice about the situation, Love described how he was able to get back to football activity as quickly as he did, and addressed his status for the Packers' Week 1 clash with the Lions scheduled for September 7.

"I think just because of the hand it's on, being on my left hand, is the reason I'm able to get back," Love said. "I think if it was my right hand it'd be a totally different story... It feels fine. It's one of those things where we're trying to avoid any contact to it right now. A little limited in what I can actually do. Still able to get 7-on-7 reps and do 1-on-1s with the receivers. Still staying active and doing things and just trying to avoid any contact and let it heal."

When asked if he thought he'd be 100% for the regular season opener, Love was firm in his belief he'd be ready.

"We'll be good. We're rolling Week 1, for sure."

Love was expected to be ready for the season opener even after undergoing surgery, but to hear him say it is obviously great news for the team. Head coach Matt LeFleur has proven to be a very talented play-caller, but would obviously prefer to have Love under center instead of his backup, Malik Willis.

Last year Love threw for 3,389 yards with 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 15 games, missing two contests early on due to injury. He was able to lead the Packers to the playoffs, but he and his Green Bay teammates were beaten down by the eventual champion Eagles in the wild-card round of the postseason.

Hopes are high for a better year in 2025. Love's preseason injury and subsequent surgery wasn't a great start on that front, but the man himself seems unconcerned about any lingering issues as regular season football nears.

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Liam McKeone
LIAM MCKEONE

Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.

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