The Green Bay Packers have a legendary history of quarterbacks within their franchise. Bart Starr, Brett Favre, and Aaron Rodgers may be the greatest three quarterbacks to ever suit up for one organization.
Jordan Love now has the opportunity to continue that legacy. After a rocky start to his first full season under center, he started to put it all together in the latter half. Now another former Packers QB has the chance to start his own legacy.
Former Green Bay Packers QB Gets Starting Job On New Team
St. Louis Battlehawks quarterback A.J. McCarron, the former national championship winner for the Alabama Crimson Tide, was unable to suit up for Sunday’s action after he sustained an ankle injury in Week 7 of the UFL season. His replacement’s name might ring a bell for Green Bay Packers fans: Manny Wilkins.
After starting three seasons for the Arizona State Sun Devils, Wilkins signed as an undrafted free agent with the Packers back in 2019. While he was unable to make the roster that carried Aaron Rodgers and Tom Boyle, Wilkins was signed to the team’s practice squad for his rookie season.
After 2019, Wilkins was given a reserve/futures contract, which kept him on the team in 2020 until Jordan Love was drafted — leading to Wilkins’ April 27th release.
Since that date in 2020, it appears that Wilkins hasn’t drawn NFL interest, as he had not signed with another football team until he resurfaced in the XFL in February of 2023.
When it was announced that McCarron, one of the handful of players who are in the UFL Most Valuable Player Award race, would not play, many pointed to Wilkins as a major question mark in this week’s matchup versus the DC Defenders— as Wilkins hadn’t started a single football game at any level since his 2018 senior season at Arizona State.
The Packers Are Looking For A Huge Season From Jordan Love
Love had a 96.1 passer rating in his first year as a full-time starter in 2023, completing 64.2% of his passes for 4,159 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.
As the season began, Love struggled at times. It was difficult for him to throw deep throws with accuracy. At times, he had difficulty reading defenses. Some of his offensive line’s new players were learning and adjusting to their new surroundings, as were the team’s young receivers and tight ends. It was common for the young receivers to run the wrong pass patterns, leading to incomplete passes or interceptions depending on the mistake.
Even after a slump in October, Love ended the season as an elite quarterback. Love completed 70.3% of his passes for 2,150 yards in the final eight games of the regular season. He threw 18 touchdowns and just one interception. He had a quarterback rating of 112.7, which was second in the league during that span.
Love played an outstanding game against the Cowboys in the playoffs. A total of 16-of-21 passes were completed for 272 yards and three touchdowns. Before he failed to complete his final pass of the game, he had a perfect quarterback rating. Therefore, he finished with a 157.2 quarterback rating.
The organization only anticipates more of the latter in 2024.
For More Wisconsin Sports:
Follow me on Twitter at @mcquadewarnold, follow us @WiSportsHeroics. You can also reach out to McQuade Arnold via email at mcquadewarnold@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Wisconsin sports, click here! Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Bucks, Wisconsin Badgers. Go Pack Go. On Wisconsin. Fear The Deer. This Is My Crew.
