At the time, trading up to draft Love at the expense of weapons for a potential contending squad was sold as a move that would speed up a rebuild. Love would develop while sitting and be much more ready after Rodgers left. Has that really panned out? I’m not out on Love, but he still looks pretty much like a rookie (understandably). Moreover, there’s not enough talent around him to properly evaluate him so 4 years after drafting him we still won’t know if he’s the guy or not.
The point of drafting Love was to get Rodgers’s replacement at a time when he appeared to be declining in play. After Love was drafted, Rodgers turned his play around, which put Gute and Co. in a spot where they either decide to move on from a QB who was now an MVP and playing at a high level, or go all-in and try to retain as much of the roster each year as possible in the hopes of winning a Super Bowl. They chose the latter.