The Green Bay Packers have had an unprecedented amount of success when it comes to the quarterback position. Their trade for Brett Favre in 1992 marked the beginning of more than three decades of stellar play at the position. Even before Green Bay was ready to move on from him, they drafted Aaron Rodgers in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft to sit behind the would-be Pro Football Hall of Famer.
Of course, the Packers then did the same thing in the 2020 NFL Draft when they traded up to select Jordan Love in the first round. Like Rodgers before him, Love sat on the bench for three seasons so he could learn and develop into what Green Bay believed he could be. This past season, he had the best first year as a starter of any 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 |
This model of drafting and developing quarterbacks is not the norm in the NFL. Rookie quarterbacks, especially those taken in the first round, are often thrust into starting right away. Many succeed; many do not.
That being said, one NFL legend believes that the way Green Bay has approached the position for the last 30 years is the best way of doing so.
Seven-Time Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady Had Something in Common with Green Bay Packers Quarterback Jordan Love
In a recent guest appearance on “The Herd” with Colin Cowherd, seven-time Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady talked about how important it is for young quarterbacks to have someone to look up to and teach them the ropes in the NFL. He mentioned Bill Belichick, Charlie Weis, and Josh McDaniels that helped him grow and develop, but also said that his year sitting behind Drew Bledsoe was immensely important to him for his development.
He then turned the conversation to Love and the Packers:
“He had Aaron Rodgers to watch. That’s the best type of training, in my opinion. Watch someone else do it at a very high level and then try to emulate them with your own personality,” Brady said.
He continued, “Maybe a little bit of a misnomer with the draft is that these players can come in and all of the sudden become this great professional player before they’ve really had the training and the development.”
While many great quarterbacks in NFL history were thrust into starting as rookies, others have benefited from sitting behind a veteran for a season or more before taking over. Even three-time Super Bowl Champion Patrick Mahomes sat behind Alex Smith for a year in Kansas City.
The Atlanta Falcons Are Using the Green Bay Packers Quarterback Model
Earlier this offseason, the Atlanta Falcons signed former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins to a four-year $180 million contract. With an established Pro Bowl veteran under center for the foreseeable future, the Falcons then used the eighth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft to select quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
When asked why they selected a quarterback when they didn’t need one right away, Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said, “The Green Bay model was something that we talked about. It’s been proven to be right, last year. Hopefully, we’ll be right with them.”
Morris, of course, was referencing how the Packers selected Love when they already had Rodgers, and that the three years Love spent learning from Rodgers obviously paid off.
As more and more established quarterbacks get older, it will be interesting to if any other teams follow the same model.
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