The Green Bay Packers have a rich history of stellar quarterback play. Dating all the way back to the early days of the franchise, Hall of Famer Arnie Herber was a pioneer at the position. Tobin Rote and Cecil Isbell also hold particular places of respect in franchise history, leading up to the glory days of Hall of Famer Bart Starr and the Vince Lombardi Packers teams that won five NFL Championships.
Of course, more recently, Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers have continued the legacy of Hall of Fame quarterback play in Green Bay. Even before them, though, the Packers had Lynn Dickey and Pro Bowler Don Majkowski under center. Jordan Love appears poised to carry on the high standard of play after having the best first season starting of any quarterback in franchise history.
How Do the Green Bay Packers Keep Hitting on Good Quarterbacks?
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst spoke with the national media on Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine. During his session, Eliot Wolf, the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer and Packers’ legendary general manager Ron Wolf, asked Gutekunst how the Packers keep getting the quarterback position right.
“Luck,” Gutekunst responded.
(Eliot Wolf is the Director of Scouting for the New England Patriots. He is, in essence, the de facto general manager following the departure of Bill Belichick as head coach and general manager.)
There is no denying the fact that Green Bay has been fortunate to have such a long history of high-quality play from their quarterbacks. But is it really luck?
The truth of the matter is that, while everyone knows that quarterback is the most important position on the field, Green Bay has approached it differently and has reaped the benefits of this approach for years, as have other teams.
Green Bay Packers General Manager Brian Gutekunst Wants to Draft More Quarterbacks
One of the things that Gutekunst said during his press conference was that he wants the Packers to get back to drafting multiple quarterbacks. This came on the heels of his declaration that backup quarterback Sean Clifford, who Green Bay drafted in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, is a proven backup quarterback and can possibly be something more in the NFL.
Former Packers executive Andrew Brandt has been known to say “The best time to draft a quarterback is when you don’t need one.” This was the approach Gutekunst himself took in 2020 when he traded up to take Jordan Love in the first round. Rodgers was aging, yes, but he was also about to win two consecutive NFL MVP Awards. But while Gutekunst could not have known exactly how high of a level Rodgers was going to play in 2020 and 2021, he did not draft Love to be Rodgers’ immediate successor.
The plan had always been that Love would sit and learn from Rodgers, just as Rodgers had to sit behind Favre for three years. Even Favre started out as Majkowski’s backup before taking over due to the latter’s injury. The draft and develop strategy has proven to work in Green Bay, but it is because they have historically drafted and developed quarterbacks, even when they did not need one.
Former Green Bay Packers Quarterbacks Have Gone onto Great Things in the NFL
Even after Ron Wolf traded a first round pick for Favre in 1992, the Packers were not done trying to make sure they had quality quarterbacks on their roster. Below is a list of quarterbacks Green Bay drafted or signed as an undrafted free agent since Favre became the starter:
- Mark Brunell (Fifth Round Pick in the 1993 NFL Draft)
- Kurt Warner (Undrafted free agent in 1994)
- Jay Barker (Sixth Round Pick in the 1995 NFL Draft)
- Kyle Wachholtz (Seventh Round Pick in the 1996 NFL Draft)
- Ron McAda (Seventh Round Pick in the 1997 NFL Draft)
- Matt Hasselback (Sixth Round Pick in the 1998 NFL Draft)
- Aaron Brooks (Fourth Round Pick in the 1999 NFL Draft)
- Craig Nall (Fifth Round Pick in the 2002 NFL Draft)
- Aaron Rodgers (First Round Pick in the 2005 NFL Draft)
- Ingle Martin (Fifth Round Pick in the 2006 NFL Draft)
- Brian Brohm (Second Round Pick in the 2008 NFL Draft)
- Matt Flynn (Sixth Round Pick in the 2008 NFL Draft)
- BJ Coleman (Seventh Round Pick in the 2012 NFL Draft)
- Brett Hundley (Fifth Round Pick in the 2015 NFL Draft)
- Jordan Love (First Round Pick in the 2020 NFL Draft)
- Sean Clifford (Fifth Round Pick in the 2023 NFL Draft)
While many players on this list did not have long careers in the NFL, some saw great success. Mark Brunell was a three-time Pro Bowler with the Jacksonville Jaguars after his time in Green Bay was done. Kurt Warner had a Hall of Fame career after spending training camp with the Packers in 1994.
Matt Hasselbeck followed Mike Holmgren to the Seattle Seahawks, made three Pro Bowls, and led them to the Super Bowl in 2006. Aaron Brooks was a solid starter for the New Orleans Saints for four years.
The fact of the matter is that no team can predict when a quarterback will get hurt. It is in their best interest to have a capable backup and borderline starter on the roster.
As seen above, the Packers drafted or signed a new quarterback every year from 1993-1999. Favre was in his prime and won three MVP Awards in that span. Three of the quarterbacks they drafted or signed in that span went on to win multiple Pro Bowls with other teams.
So why does Gutekunst want to get back to drafting more quarterbacks? For insurance. Additionally, having such talented backups can lead to possible trades that can bring in more draft capital. Despite Love being the future of the franchise, it cannot hurt to have as many quality quarterbacks in the system.
It is what has made Green Bay so successful. Not just “luck.”
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