The Green Bay Packers appear to have their future at quarterback all figured out. After he sat behind future Hall of Famer and four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers for three seasons, the organization rolled the dice on their 2020 first round pick and handed him the keys to the offense. While the team got off to a slow start, eventually Jordan Love and his young group of pass catchers put everything together and made a NFL Playoffs run.
At this time last year, the biggest question surrounding Love and the Packers was whether he would be good enough to be the future of the team. Now the biggest question is how much should Green Bay pay him after he put together the best first-year of any starting quarterback in franchise history.
| Quarterback | Completion % | Yards | Touchdowns | Interceptions | Passer Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Love | 64.2% | 4,159 | 32 | 11 | 96.1 |
| Aaron Rodgers | 63.6% | 4,038 | 28 | 13 | 93.8 |
| Brett Favre | 64.1% | 3,227 | 18 | 13 | 85.3 |
Do the Green Bay Packers Have a Battle for Backup Quarterback Behind Jordan Love?
After Love was promoted to starting quarterback, the Packers drafted Penn State’s Sean Clifford to serve as his backup quarterback last season. Clifford impressed some fans in the preseason, with a small faction of fans wanting him to start over Love at the time.
Prior to the 2024 NFL Draft, general manager Brian Gutekunst told reporters that he wants Green Bay to get back into the practice of drafting and developing quarterbacks, even though their own future at the position is set. During the Brett Favre Era, the team drafted and developed future NFL starters Matt Hasselbeck, Mark Brunell, Aaron Brooks, and (of course) Rodgers.
True to his word, Gutekunst and the Packers selected Tulane’s Michael Pratt in the seventh round of this year’s draft. Pratt was even selected as one of just 40 rookies taken this year to attend the NFL Rookie Premiere.
Last season’s practice squad quarterback, Alex McGough, is switching positions and will try to make the team as a wide receiver this year. This means that Clifford and Pratt will battle for the number two quarterback job, and whoever does not win it will likely be on this year’s practice squad.
NFL Analyst Encourages the Green Bay Packers to Sign Ryan Tannehill to Backup Jordan Love
The problem that some NFL analysts have with having either Clifford or Pratt as the backup quarterback is that neither of them has NFL experience (besides mop up duty for Clifford last season).
Due to their concerns over the inexperience in the quarterback room, some analysts believe that Green Bay would do well to sign a veteran to serve as the backup. One of these analysts, Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report, has suggested that the team signs former Pro Bowl quarterback Ryan Tannehill:
“The Packers are too good to rely on a completely inexperienced backup option and Ryan Tannehill could be a solution. The 35-year-old was 39-24 as the Titans starter over the last five years and has 151 career starts.
“His days as a starter are over. The market has spoken as far as that is concerned. However, he still has enough in the tank to be a good veteran backup who could win a few games with the Packers surrounding talent.”
While that might make sense to media members and fans outside of Green Bay, that is simply not what the Packers do, though. They have committed to this way of doing things at quarterback and are not likely to deviate from it to sign a 35-year old quarterback.
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