1 of 5 | Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love missed two starts last season due to a knee injury. File Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI | License Photo
Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love will undergo thumb surgery and miss at least a week of practice, general manager Brian Gutekunst announced Tuesday.
Gutekunst told reporters that Love sustained ligament damage in the thumb on his left, non-throwing hand during the Packers’ 30-10 preseason loss to the New York Jets on Saturday in Green Bay, Wis.
The Packers’ general manager said Love was scheduled for surgery Tuesday morning, but is expected to be ready for Week 1.
“Jordan is having a little procedure done on his left thumb that he hurt in the game,” Gutekunst said. “It will put him out a little while. Hope to have him back at practice next week. He shouldn’t miss any regular season time.”
Love completed 1 of 5 passes for 7 yards in two drives during the Packers’ preseason opener. He was injured while being sacked by Jets defensive tackle Jay Tufele in the first quarter. Gutekunst said the injury occurred when Love hit his hand on a helmet.
“I think as he gets back, we’ll kind of assess where he’s at,” Gutekunst said of Love’s return. “It’s one of those things where he’ll be back at practice next week, how much he can do leading into that Seattle game, we’ll kind of see. He’ll be day-to-day a little bit.”
Gutekunst said he didn’t expect any long-term impact on Love’s play due to the thumb issue.
Love completed 63.1% of his passes for 3,389 yards, 25 scores and 11 interceptions over 15 starts last season. He completed 64.2% of his throws for 4,159 yards, 32 scores and 11 interceptions over 17 starts in 2023, his first season as a full-time starter.
The Packers listed Malik Willis as their second string quarterback on their first unofficial depth chart. Sean Clifford and Taylor Elgersma are the other quarterbacks on the Packers’ roster.
Willis completed 4 of 9 passes for 39 yards in the Packers’ preseason opener. Elgersma was 3 of 4 for 24 yards, while Clifford was 2 of 4 for 14 yards.
Love participated in practice Monday to test out the thumb and used his right hand for handoffs. Gutekunst said Love was “frustrated” by the injury.
“I think he had some options with what he could do,” Gutekunst said. “Obviously, you guys saw him out there. He certainly was able to function. As we looked at all the options, and he did as well, the best option for him to get back the fastest and feel the best was to do this. He wanted to go out there yesterday to see how it felt.
“Once we got through that, we made the decision and he should meet us in Indiana on Wednesday.”
Packers coach Matt LaFleur said he expects a “relatively quick recovery.” He also said it is “highly unlikely” he plays in the Packers’ preseason finale against the Seattle Seahawks.
“Hopefully we’ll be able to get him back out in some capacity sometime next week to work on and work through,” LaFleur said. “I’ve never personally dealt with a situation like this, so there is going to be some learning curve along the way in terms of how we adapt and how we adjust.”
The Packers will participate in joint practices with Indianapolis Colts this week in Westfield, Ind. The Colts will host the Packers in their second preseason game Saturday in Indianapolis.
The Packers will host the Seahawks in their preseason finale Aug. 23 in Green Bay. They will host the Detroit Lions in an NFC North divisional clash in their regular-season opener Sept. 7 at Lambeau Field.
