Bears

Bears OT Braxton Jones suffered an ankle injury in Week 16 of last season against the Lions. Jones said he “immediately” knew something was wrong during the game. 

“I knew immediately that something was wrong,” Jones said, via Nicholas Moreano of Marquee Sports Network. “I had never felt something like that before. Immediately, as I went down, I was not necessarily in pain, but I knew something was wrong.”

Jones subsequently underwent surgery, which taught him to be patient with his recovery. 

“I learned a lot of patience – a lot of patience,” Jones said. “After getting surgery, I had to be patient with myself and patient with the people around me. Honestly, I stepped on a lot of toes during that process early on. It was hard to realize that I needed to be more patient with people and allow them to help me, allow them to do things for me. But, at the end of the day, I learned that I have to be a little bit more patient and not be so urgent to do everything. When you’re healthy, you’re go, go, go, go. Then, when you’re down like that and injured, you have to be patient and learn that it’s a process and stuff like that.”

Now entering the fourth year of his career, Jones still feels like he’s learning and is focused on rehabbing his ankle. 

“For me, I’m trying to focus on myself and be honest and do what I can to help the others as well,” Jones said. “I’m constantly learning. I use this phrase, ‘that when you’re green you grow and when you’re ripe you rot.’ That’s big for me. I’m always constantly trying to learn. … I just have to focus on getting my ankle right before I can focus on anything else, and feeling right. Just in these last couple days, it has been coming along, and I’ve gotten to see that light at the end of the tunnel, that I can still do the things that I want to do.”

Packers

Packers QB Jordan Love said he identified points last season where he could’ve taken off and run for yards, but he was reluctant to do it with an injury. He’s working to understand when to run and when to check down. 

“I think every game there was a couple options or instances where I could’ve took off and run,” Love said, via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. “I think early on, some of it was with the injury, just not wanting to get out and do as much, but I think even later in the season, there was a lot of opportunities for me. You look back and you’re like, ‘Man I could’ve took off and run.’ A little of it is just understanding what the defense is doing, what coverage we’re getting, how the D-line might be playing some of those games where they start twisting and doing different things, understanding where the holes in the pocket might be to have the opportunity to step up and escape. And then, like you said, just understanding that maybe sometimes maybe not go straight to the check down right now. Maybe take that extra second to find a lane and get out of there and create an opportunity with your legs. So I think half-and-half with the injury and then just understanding when those times are to take off and use your legs.”

Packers OC Adam Stenavich said they “absolutely” want to use Love’s mobility more often. 

“Absolutely,” Stenavich said. “I think that’s a huge weapon and Jordan has that ability to make some big plays down the field … we encourage that, for sure.”

Packers’ backup QB Malik Willis praised Love for his ability to move and keep his eyes downfield. 

“Jordan does a great job, and especially any quarterback that is playing on the move and has to react, you gotta keep your eyes up because you just don’t know,” Willis said. “Sometimes it turns into backyard football. Sometimes the guys out there work with you and then the last resort is running it, obviously, and you obviously wanna be aware of the situation. Like, is it third-and-2? Maybe we don’t take this deep shot and we just go get 2 yards and dive forward. It’s just very, understanding the situation.”

Vikings

• Vikings S Josh Metellus‘ three-year, $36 million extension includes an $11,000,000 signing bonus. His $3,435,000 base salary in 2025 is fully guaranteed, while his $11,220,000 salary in 2027 and $11,050,000 salary in 2028 are non-guaranteed. (Over The Cap)
• Metellus can also earn up to $2,040,000 in per-game roster bonuses and $350,000 in workout bonuses. 

The post NFC Notes: Jordan Love, Josh Metellus, Braxton Jones, Bears, Packers, Vikings appeared first on NFLTradeRumors.co.