Green Bay Packers fans were hit with unexpected bad news on Tuesday, as quarterback Jordan Love will undergo a "minor procedure" on his left thumb for what GM Brian Gutekunst described as a "ligament issue." Love will hopefully return to practice within a week, but suddenly, there are questions.
Packers GM Brian Gutekunst said QB Jordan Love is undergoing a procedure on his left thumb. It’s a ligament issue. That’s why he had it taped yesterday in practice. Said the hope is for Love to return to practice next week. pic.twitter.com/rBhF7UQNV2
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) August 12, 2025
There is plenty of silver lining here. It's early enough in the preseason for Love to return before the real games start. It's also his non-throwing hand, which should ease concerns about potential grip issues once he's back under center. All in all, this is not a reason to panic.
And yet, it's worth understanding the downside, just in case. If Love is forced to miss more time than expected, or if he re-aggravates the ligament at a future date, it would immediately throw the Packes into a state of disrepair. Very few teams are truly equipped to win without their starting quarterbacks; Green Bay is not one of the exceptions.
Jordan Love surgery shines harsh spotlight on Packers backup quarterbacks
Malik Willis and Sean Clifford are back as QB2 and QB3, respectively, on the Packers depth chart. That is far from the worst backup quarterback situation in the NFL, but let's be real. Green Bay isn't going to mount a contending season with Willis (and definitely not Clifford) under center, so fans will need to pray for a timely and full recovery from Jordan Love.
That said, Willis does deserve some credit. He made two starts last season, in Weeks 2 and 3, and won both those games. He completed 75.8 percent of his passes in that span, throwing two touchdowns with zero interceptions, and scoring once as a runner. It was not the most prolific output, as he only threw for a combined 324 yards across two games, but Willis efficiently managed the offense and put Green Bay in a position to win. That's all you can really ask of a backup.
Sean Clifford occupies a slightly different category. He has -2 career passing yards. Yes, negative. That is on three total pass attempts from 2023, as a rookie fifth-round pick buried on the depth chart. Clifford did not touch the field in 2024, so his NFL experience is extremely limited. He may take on a larger role in Green Bay's preseason offense, however, with Love sidelined.
Packers' preseason opener was ominous sign for shorthanded QB room
Green Bay's preseason opener, a 30-10 loss to the New York Jets, was easily swept under the rug last weekend. Love barely played, so what does it really matter? Well, now all of a sudden, it's worth focusing on the performance of the Packers backups.
Matt LaFleur's team put up a whopping 64 total passing yards in the loss. Malik Willis received the most reps, completing 4-of-9 for 39 yards. Sean Clifford went 2-of-4 for 14 yards, which is 16 yards more than he has in his regular season career. So there's that, I guess. Canadian QB Taylor Elgersma, Clifford's primary competition for a roster spot, went 3-of-4 for 24 yards in limited action, but looked comfortable in his first NFL appearance. Love went 1-of-5 for seven yards, which is a nice reminder that preseason barely matters. But if the offense continues to stall without Love out, fans will naturally begin to panic.
Hopefully this all blows over and the Packers' quarterback is up to speed well in time for the regular season.