Adam Schefter dismisses offseason rankings snubs, urging fans to prioritize on-field performance over perception as Jordan Love prepares to challenge divisional rivals for NFC North supremacy.
ESPN's Adam Schefter knows the NFL about just as good as anybody. He's the insider of insiders and what he hears around the league more times than not becomes reality.
That's why it's intriguing that Schefter isn't all that bothered about Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love not being ranked in the Top 10 of the recently released quarterback rankings by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
Schefter paid respect to his colleague for the work he did in getting intel from anonymous NFL executives, coaches and scouts, but Schefter basically told anyone freaking out over this list to chill out.
Allen Iverson once famously opined about "talking 'bout practice. Not a game, practice.
Schefter's point when talking to the morning show on ESPN Milwaukee is that it's the offseason and we're "talking about talk".
It really doesn't matter what those rankings say.
"I just don't put punch stock into those things," Schefter said. "Nobody is in camp yet. There's not a lot of football to talk about."
Schefter didn't completely discount the list, either, though. It's worth noting that there are two NFC North quarterbacks in the rankings led by Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions and No. 9 and then Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears at No. 10.
If the perception around the league is that Love is behind both of those quarterbacks heading into 2026, what does that mean for the Packers' chances of winning the division? That's something they haven't done in the Love era.
And yes, it's just perception, but Love does have the ability to go out and prove these rankings wrong.
© David Reginek-Imagn Images"Obviously, it's a reflection and a referendum of how people feel about Joran Love, and right now, they don't feel like he's a top 10 quarterback," said Schefter. "Which means he has to play better this year to crack that next year if he wants to be viewed in a higher light."
Packers fans know the quarterback they have in Love, but does the league see it?
Ultimately, the only thing that speaks in this league is hardware, and Goff has won the Lions two NFC North titles, and Williams just led the Bears to their first divisional championship since 2018.
Love is certainly behind the eight ball in that regard, so perhaps it's no surprise he's being devalued a bit in these preseason rankings.
Outside of banners, the numbers tell a different story.
The quarterback from Utah State threw for 3,381 yards and 23 touchdowns last season compared to just six interceptions. His QBR of 72.7 was third-best in the NFL and his EPA per dropback was second-best behind only Drake Maye.
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