What will the Green Bay Packers do with Aaron Rodgers? This question has popped up each of the past few NFL offseasons, as the future Hall of Fame quarterback continues to climb closer and closer to the age of 40.
Once again, the Packers enter the offseason with uncertainty, clouded by Rodgers’ darkness retreat. Yet, unlike past seasons, the Packers are actually “open to moving” the four-time NFL MVP, according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.
If so, this marks a significant change from how they’ve operated in the past. Earlier reports suggested Rodgers was the Denver Broncos’ original target before landing on Russell Wilson a year ago.
So what’s changed now? Is it that Rodgers is now 39 years old, coming off his first non-Pro Bowl full season since his rookie year? Is it because the Packers failed to make the playoffs for the first time under Mike LaFleur and the first since 2018?
According to Breer, it’s because the top team brass feels they are no longer concerned about handing the keys to their offense to backup Jordan Love. In fact, they believe the 26th overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft still has ‘considerable upside.”
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Green Bay Packers appear poised to give Jordan Love his chance
On one hand, it makes a lot of sense for the Packers to try and trade Rodgers for whatever compensation they may be able to receive. He’s unlikely to play longer than two or three more seasons, and they could potentially already have their QB of the future with Love.
He’s still just 24 years old and has yet to be given a chance to play, which is insane, considering he was drafted in the first round three years ago. That’s unheard of. Yet, Love has only made one start, appearing in a total of 10 games.
- Jordan Love career stats: 50-of-83, 60.2 comp. rate, 606 passing yards, 3 TD, 3 INT
The public hasn’t been able to see much of what Love is capable of, but the Packers have seen plenty in training camp, preseason play, and other practice sessions over the years. Yet, without the chance to face live bullets when all 22 players on the field are going 100%, it’s hard to really evaluate what they have.
But the time to find out is right now. Love is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and how would it look if the Packers never got to find out what they had in their first-round selection from three years ago? It already doesn’t look great, but maybe they can salvage the decision by empowering Love in 2023, hoping he can develop into the future at QB for the Pack, continuing a legendary run from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers, and now, maybe Jordan Love?
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