Love doesn’t mind pressure replacing Rodgers

He welcomes the scrutiny that’s sure to follow him all season.

“You’re an NFL quarterback,” Love said Wednesday while talking to reporters for the first time since the Packers traded Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets.

“There’s only so many of you. So everyone’s watching you. Everyone’s watching every move you make on the field, so it’s pressure. But that’s what comes with the position. That’s what I signed up for, that’s what I knew I was getting myself into, and it comes down to me just making the most of that.”

After backing up Rodgers the past three seasons, Love finally has his chance to show what he can do. Love said he and Rodgers have spoken since last month’s trade.

“He wished me the best and (said he’s) always there for me if I need anything, if I have any questions or anything,” said Love, the 26th overall pick in the 2020 draft. “I’m always just grateful to be around him and for the time I had with him, to be able to learn and be behind him.”

Love’s career thus far has included plenty of learning and not much actual playing. His lone career start came in a 13-7 loss at Kansas City in 2021 after a positive COVID-19 test sidelined Rodgers.

Love understood as soon as the Packers drafted him that he’d have to wait longer to play regularly than most first-round picks. The situation still tested his patience, particularly after Rodgers signed a contract extension last year that seemed to indicate he would be finishing his career in Green Bay.

“I’ll admit, I think the hardest time was when he re-signed the contract last year,” Love said. “It was kind of like, ‘OK, well, where do we go from here? What do I do?’ And I think I sat back, thought to myself and just came back with the approach, like, ‘Let’s just go ball out any opportunity I get.’”

His opportunity came last November in Philadelphia when a rib injury sidelined Rodgers and caused Love to enter the game with the Packers trailing 37-23. Love went 6 of 9 for 113 yards with a touchdown that night, though the Packers still lost 40-33.

That performance backed up the comments of teammates and coaches who said Love had made remarkable strides. They’d seen Love benefit from taking more first-team reps last season while a broken thumb limited Rodgers’ practice time.

Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars will become the first NFL team to play two international games in the same season when they spend back-to-back weeks in London this year.

The Jaguars will “host” the Atlanta Falcons at Wembley Stadium on Oct. 1 and “visit” the Buffalo Bills at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Oct. 8. The Jaguars were set to play two designated home games in London in 2020 but the pandemic canceled those plans.

The NFL also announced dates for three other international games and released the opponents for a few other games, including the first Black Friday matchup.

The Tennessee Titans will “host” the Baltimore Ravens at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Oct. 15. NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes and the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs will “host” the Miami Dolphins in Germany at Eintracht Frankfurt Stadium on Nov. 5. The New England Patriots will “host” the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 12, also in Frankfurt.

Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets will host the Dolphins on Nov. 24. The reigning NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles will host the New York Giants on Christmas Day in a playoff rematch. The Chiefs will host the Cincinnati Bengals on New Year’s Eve in another playoff rematch.

LAS VEGAS — Ex-Las Vegas Raiders player Henry Ruggs pleaded guilty Wednesday to driving his sports car drunk at speeds up to 156 mph on a city street before causing a fiery crash that killed a woman and her dog.

“Guilty,” said the former first-round NFL draft pick, 24, who will avoid trial and is expected to be sentenced Aug. 9 to three to 10 years in state prison under terms of his plea deal with prosecutors. The minimum three-year sentence cannot be reduced by converting the year-and-a-half that he has spent on house arrest to time already served.

Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson cited possible legal obstacles to obtaining a conviction at trial, said he met several times with relatives of the woman who died, and said the plea agreement with Ruggs “accomplished our three most important goals.”

Ruggs was convicted of felony DUI causing death, will go to prison, and won’t be able to appeal his conviction and sentence, the elected district attorney, a Democrat, said in a lengthy written statement. “When someone dies as the result of a drunk driver’s actions, this is the most serious charge the law allows.”

Ruggs declined to comment as he and a group of about nine people left the courthouse following his brief court appearance. He remains free pending sentencing.

SAINTS: Tight end Foster Moreau has agreed to a three-year contract with the Saints less than two months after being diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma during a physical with New Orleans. Moreau’s agent, Joe Linta, says the Saints have been “amazing” in their support of Moreau and that the contract is worth up to $12 million with $8 million guaranteed.