Packers' Love says his thumb 'feels
good' after participating in 7-on-7 drills during joint practice
[August 22, 2025]
By STEVE MEGARGEE
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love
says the thumb on his non-throwing hand feels fine a week after he
underwent surgery on it.
Love was limited to participating in 7-on-7 drills Thursday during a
joint practice with the Seattle Seahawks, but said he’d be able to
play if the Packers had a regular-season game this week. Love has
been practicing all week with his left thumb heavily taped.
“It feels good right now,” Love said.
The health of his receiving group is a bit less certain with Jayden
Reed (foot), Dontayvion Wicks (calf) and rookie third-round pick
Savion Williams (hamstring) all limited to varying degrees as the
Packers close training camp and prepare for their Sept. 7 opener
against the Detroit Lions.
Green Bay’s injury issues at receiver may help explain why Love went
just 3 of 12 in red zone drills against Seattle’s defense on
Thursday.
“I think those guys have been doing a great job staying locked in on
the side,” Love said. “Obviously, they’re missing a lot of reps,
which isn’t great, but I think once they get back out there, we’ll
be able to hit the ground running.”
As for the Seahawks’ quarterback situation, coach Mike Macdonald
said rookie third-round pick Jalen Milroe will play the entire
preseason game Saturday at Green Bay as Sam Darnold gets to rest for
the regular-season opener Sept. 7 against the San Francisco 49ers.
“I think it’s just a great opportunity for him to get great
experience,” Macdonald said. “All rookies, they need reps, they need
experience. Jalen’s right there. He’s really excited for the
opportunity. He’s going to do a great job. Go out, operate the
offense and go play ball the way you know how.”
Joint practice features multiple fights
Two fights took place in rapid-fire succession between Green Bay’s
offense and Seattle’s defense during red zone drills. Some of the
main participants included Packers right tackle Zach Tom, Seahawks
linebacker Ernest Jones IV and Seahawks cornerback Devon
Witherspoon.
Tom said afterward that he was kicked out of the joint practice for
throwing a punch.
“They were in our huddle and I saw somebody to my left got hit, so I
just reacted,” Tom said. “So, it’s really nothing more than that.”
The jawing between the two teams continued even after practice had
ended, which annoyed Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams.
[to top of second column] |
Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love, right, talks with
quarterback Malik Willis during the second half of a preseason NFL
football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Saturday, Aug. 16,
2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
“I didn’t appreciate in general them coming to our
sideline while practice is over and we already broke the huddle,”
Williams said. “Our guys are on our side, their guys are on their
side, and people were coming over. It’s hard with these joint
practices because stuff like that always happens. You don’t want it
to happen, but it just happens. We try to avoid it as much as
possible. Yeah, I didn’t appreciate it.”
Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon was one of the players doing some
trash-talking at the end of the practice. Nixon said it shouldn’t be
much of a surprise when fights occur during joint practices.
“I mean the coaches are not going to like it, but it just comes with
the territory, for real,” Nixon said. “That’s just how it goes. It’s
too many alphas on the field.”
NOTES: Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker Jr., who has been limited by a
sore foot for much of camp, was a full participant in Thursday’s
practice. … Macdonald says he plans to announce the Seahawks
starters at center and right guard next week. Jalen Sundell, Anthony
Bradford, Olu Oluwatimi, Christian Haynes and Josh Jones are
competing for the two spots. … Packers S Evan Williams delivered one
of the best plays of Thursday’s practice when he intercepted a long
pass from Darnold during two-minute drills. Other standouts included
Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Packers TEs Tucker Kraft and Luke
Musgrave. … Packers S Xavier McKinney participated in individual
drills Thursday. The All-Pro selection has been dealing with a calf
issue during training camp. “I feel good,” McKinney said. “Like said
before, I’ll be ready to go. Right now, I’m just trying to make sure
that my wind is where it needs to be and just continuing to sharpen
up while I’m not actually out there practicing. So that’s really all
I need.”
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved
 |
