It’s been a busy offseason for Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love, who will now be replacing franchise legend Donald Driver as the head of the annual charity softball game.
The Green Bay Charity Softball game is an annual tradition. Current and former Packers players come out to Fox Cities to put on a show for fans and raise money.
The annual event has most recently been hosted by Driver. However, the 49-year-old told reporters that he was hanging up his cleats and handing the keys to Love to host the event going forward.
“Now, I have this opportunity to pass it to of, what I feel, is the future quarterback of the Green Bay Packers Jordan Love”, Driver said. “I’ve said it before, he deserves it. So now it’s time for the legend, I think and know, that he will become and to pass the torch to him. Donald’s walking away from the softball game. It’s official. It’s retirement.”
Previous hosts of the event have included Brett Favre and Jordy Nelson. Now, Love will be in charge of hosting the annual event.
Remembering Donald Driver’s NFL Career
Younger NFL fans won’t remember too much about Driver. However, he holds a special place in Packers history.
Driver wasn’t supposed to be anything special coming out of college. A seventh-round pick out of Alcorn State, Driver had an outside chance of making the 53-man roster as a rookie.
Instead, Driver carved out an iconic 14-year career, all with the Packers. Along with a Super Bowl ring, he was a four-time Pro Bowler. He caught two passes in Super Bowl XLV, but was sidelined for the majority of the game due to an ankle injury. He finished his career with 743 catches for 10,137 yards and 61 touchdowns.
A few years after retiring in 2013, Driver was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame. There’s also a street named after him in the city of Green Bay.
Driver was the ultimate bridge receiver between the Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers eras. However, Love doesn’t have that same kind of luxury replacing Rodgers, as the only receivers to play with the future Hall of Fame quarterback were rookies in 2022.
Still, fans are hoping that Love can have a similar career as the quarterbacks who came before him.
Jordan Love’s Pivotal 2024 Season
Love got the vote of confidence from Driver during the charity softball game. However, the Packers quarterback still has more to prove in the 2024 season.
Things didn’t get off to the best start for Love and the Packers offense in 2023. However, the former first-round quarterback turned things around in the second half of the season. Over his final eight games, Love threw for 18 touchdowns and just one interception while posting a 112.7 passer rating.
The Packers may be wanting to see what Love is capable of in 2024, but they may have no choice but to offer him a massive extension this offseason. Some agents and analysts believe that he could become the NFL’s highest-paid player with his next extension, which he is now eligible to sign.
Regardless of when that happens, Love will still need to prove that the final stretch of last season wasn’t a fluke.
