After Replacing Brady, Mac Jones Has Advice for Love

Jordan Love, who is replacing Aaron Rodgers, and Mac Jones, who eventually replaced Tom Brady, talked about replacing legends at Wednesday’s Packers-Patriots joints practice.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Aug 16, 2023 4:25 PM EDT

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Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Jordan Love’s got huge shoes to fill in replacing Aaron Rodgers as the Green Bay Packers’ quarterback.

Mac Jones understands.

“Tom Brady’s the greatest quarterback to ever play in the NFL,” Jones, who is entering his third season as the New England Patriots’ starting quarterback, said following Wednesday’s joint practice against the Packers in Green Bay.

Brady’s last season in New England was 2019. Cam Newton served as a placeholder for one year before the Patriots drafted Jones 15th overall in 2021. As a first-round pick, the expectation – fair or not after Brady led the Patriots to six Super Bowl championships – was that Jones would at least keep the Patriots among the ranks of contenders.

“To follow up on him, it’s trying to chase the standard that he set every day,” Jones said. “Honestly, we’re definitely two different players. That’s the only advice I’d have [for Love]: Just continue to grow and be yourself. That’s all you can do is put your best foot forward and compete. It’s definitely big shoes to fill.”

As the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns along with a case of Super Bowl rings, Brady’s standard is greatness. With four NFL MVP awards, that was the standard that Rodgers set during his 15-year run as Green Bay’s starting quarterback.

Relayed Jones’ comments, Love said:

“The standards have been set. Quarterbacks that have been before us, obviously, we’ve had some really great quarterbacks here. The standard’s kind of set and you’re trying to continue to raise your game until you get to that bar and continue to go past it once you get there.

“Obviously, just going into Year 1 being the starter, just trying to go out there and have fun and play great and enjoy this process because it’s a process. I think the standards are set here.”

Playing like Rodgers doesn’t mean, well, playing like Rodgers. The idea is to play great and lead the team to victories while not trying to mimic Rodgers’ style.

That’s how Trevor Siemian, who replaced Peyton Manning in Denver, put it during last week’s Packers-Bengals joint practices.

“I think the standards are there and you try and be yourself, play your game. That’s kind of the goal that you’re trying to achieve,” Love said. “With standards, I don’t think it means you have to play like somebody else. It’s what’s been done here and what happened in the past and you get to see something that’s been done at a really high level, and that’s where you want to take your game to.”

Love has had a promising training camp, including Day 1 against New England. For Love, the only way to emerge from Rodgers’ prodigious shadow is to parlay individual success into team success.

That’s what Jones, with 36 touchdowns vs. 24 interceptions in 31 career starts, is trying to do in New England.

“You’ve got to go out there and earn it,” he said. “I know that. He did that every year and I’m going to continue to do that, as well.”