The Green Bay Packers released fan-favorite quarterback Kurt Benkert last week. The move, though disappointing to many fans, made sense. Aaron Rodgers is back on a three-year contract and Jordan Love is entrenched as the Packers’ backup quarterback. In short, Benkert had no shot of making the 53-man roster. Despite his presence in the community and huge following online, the time had come for the two parties to part ways. On Sunday afternoon, Benkert took to Twitch to inform his fans about his conversation with Brian Gutekunst.
.@KurtBenkert says gute did it the right way 🤟🫡 pic.twitter.com/L3TmeUS88n
— CheeseheadTV 🧀 (@cheeseheadtv) June 19, 2022
Kurt Benkert Discussed the Struggles of Being a Third-String Quarterback
Kurt Benkert uses his Twitch stream to promote his professional gaming career. While you can check out his full stream here, the above Tweet and clip are focused on his praise for the Packers, specifically for Brian Gutekunst.
Prior to discussing his conversation with Gutekunst, Benkert laid out how just how hard it is for players like him to make it on NFL rosters. In so many words, he stated that the main focus for him is to get on a 53-man roster. Once that happens, he hopes that he can be a backup quarterback. If he is able to achieve that, then he can take the next step to finding a starting job. In Green Bay, he was not going to get that chance.
Of the Packers, Benkert stated: “I knew, at the end of preseason, what it was going to look like, and honestly, I am really thankful that they did me a solid and and didn’t waste any time.”
Benkert continued,
“In the NFL, if you’re a third guy in the league, and you’re not a 53 guy and you’re a practice squad guy, you’re going to be one of the guys they’re always looking to evaluate. So for me, I knew that at the end of preseason, I was going to get cut. There is no room on that roster for an extra quarterback on the 53… And honestly, they did me a solid because this gives me a chance.”
Benkert also clarified that he did not want his time in Green Bay to end like this. Furthermore, he did not ask for a release. He also expressed that he loved being in Green Bay, the community, and that it was never a chore to do the extra stuff to show appreciation to the fans.
Benkert Did Not Love the Criticism Brian Gutekunst Received
On his meeting with Brian Gutekunst, Kurt Benkert stated that he loved everything about the way the Packers general manager went about releasing him. He stated that he saw a lot of bashing of “Gute” on social media and “I did not love it, but I didn’t really know if it was my place to Tweet about it.”
Benkert also expressed his gratitude that Gutekunst and the Packers cut him with plenty of time to earn a chance to make a 53 man roster someplace else. To use his exact words, “Respect the sh*t out of that!”
Kurt Benkert Explains Why He Left G-Fuel
Earlier last week, Kurt Benkert Tweeted that he had sent a letter to G-Fuel asking for his immediate release from their sponsorship. As he tells it, there was some alleged name-calling by “higher-ups” in the company on a gaming stream that many employees were on. When several of the employees on the sponsorship team called them out on it, they were fired from the company. While he said that he may feel that hit financially from ending that partnership, he did state that other companies have reached out to him in hopes of sponsoring him.
Conclusion
The time was right for Kurt Benkert to leave the Green Bay Packers. While he did (begrudgingly) admit he will miss the snow, he also is excited for what is going to happen next. Hopefully we will see him on some NFL sideline this season.
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