Aaron Rodgers’ imminent departure means the official arrival of the Jordan Love era. It also means for the first time in four years the Green Bay Packers are in the market for a backup quarterback. With 19 free agent quarterbacks already officially off the market, flashy names like Gardner Minshew, Marcus Mariota, and Taylor Heinicke are no longer options. Sooner rather than later the Green and Gold will have to pick a path and walk down it. Here are some categories and options Brian Gutekunst and Co. can look at.
Big Name Journeymen – Quarterbacks you know and have watched on Sunday over the years.
Carson Wentz
When Wentz’s name was put on Packer fans radar last week you could hear the state of Wisconsin let out a collective “Uhg.” He might be the least sexy free agent name you could imagine. But he is an established league veteran with blankety-blank starts on his resume. The upside here is if not expected to be a starter perhaps Wentz is a valuable asset. If his responsibilities are limited to supporting Jordan Love, helping him grow, and coming in only when needed, maybe Wentz can surprise some of his haters. The downside is being a part of his continued career landslide. Wentz has the trajectory of someone who is one strike away from signing a deal with an XFL team and doing local car dealership commercials in his hometown.
Matt Ryan
Like Wentz, Matt Ryan’s recent performances aren’t going to excite anybody. What should be interesting to Packers fans is the opportunity to continue Love’s tutelage under another former NFL MVP. Three years under Rodgers was invaluable. 12 helped teach Love how to be a pro. Now Ryan could help teach him as he gets actual reps as a pro. This feels like a home run for Green Bay but is likely unrealistic. Is a player of Matt Ryan’s former caliber looking to end his career as a mentor? It seems more likely that he would want to end things as a starter or at the very least as a backup for a team that has Super Bowl potential.
Teddy Bridgewater
No quarterback has defined the area between starter and backup in recent years more than Bridgewater. One could easily see Bridgewater being still interested in an opportunity to compete. Let’s not forget that the Tua we saw last year wasn’t the Tua of previous years. Bridgewater went to Miami thinking he had a chance. Just like he went to New Orleans thinking he could be the succession plan. If willing to play the supportive role to a young guy Bridgewater could also be a great mentor. Despite not having the stats of Ryan, Bridgewater has been good at one thing throughout his career. He is an efficient and winning quarterback when it matters. Would be nice to have that in the quarterback room with Love.
Under The Radar Journeymen – Guys you likely forgot about because you never hear their name
Chase Daniel
If any quarterback in the universe deserves a lifetime achievement award for being a backup quarterback, it should be Chase Daniel. Though he’s only started five games in his 14 year career(that has seen him suit up for six different teams) Daniel has been more than serviceable in the games he’s played. He has an 85.8 career QB rating, a 68.1 career completion percentage, and a 9:7 career TD:INT ratio.
Brian Hoyer
A veteran presence with 40 career starts under his belt, Hoyer has maintained a modest career as a backup for the last several years with the Patriots and Colts. While he has not won as a starter since Week 4 of the 2016 season, he has shown ability to be a decent backup option while teams search for their next franchise guy.
Josh Johnson
Over his 15 season NFL career Josh Johnson has been a part of an astounding 14 different NFL teams. Why not add a 15th? Johnson, who was thrust into the NFC Championship Game after an injury to Brock Purdy, went 7 for 13 for 74 yards before suffering an injury of his own. He has shown flashes of still having ability after throwing for over 300 yards in his most recent start, which was for Baltimore in 2021
The Unknown Backup – The sort of quarterbacks that only fans who spend a ton of time on Twitter ever talk about.
John Wolford
John Wolford was thrust into the starting role for three games in 2022 after Matthew Stafford went down with a season ending injury and was able to keep the Rams afloat before getting an injury of his own. He even has a playoff victory from 2020 under his belt. A game that he was unable to finish due to a neck injury. Even with all this, Wolford has only thrown one touchdown in his entire career – a 3 yard garbage time TD pass to Van Jefferson in Week 10 of the 2022 season.
Trace McSorley
Yes, the guy from the trending TikTok song. Like Wolford, McSorley only has one career TD pass – a 4th quarter throw to Hollywood Brown in 2020 against the Steelers. A 2019 sixth round pick out of Penn State, McSorley has maintained a role as both a backup and a third string QB for both the Ravens and Cardinals.
Bryce Perkins
A teammate of John Wolford’s for the past three seasons, Perkins only saw limited action in 2022. He does have one start under his belt after injuries to both Stafford and Wolford. Against the Chiefs he went 13 for 23 while throwing for 100 yards, one TD, and two interceptions in the 26-10 loss.
The High Upside Sleeper Draft Pick – Guys your fan base will spend a ton of time arguing about.
Jake Haener Fresno State 4-5th round
Per Draft buzz “Jake Haener is a classic overachiever as a signal caller who lacks the prototypical size for the position standing at just 6-1, weighing in at 200lbs (with his pockets full of sand), and without possessing any other top-level athletic traits. He however has consistently managed to perform at a high level at Fresno State and lead his team through some hard-fought wins. He possesses a decent right arm enabling him to make all but the most demanding of NFL throws along with outstanding accuracy and ball placement on short to intermediate passes.Haener is never going to be looked at as a long term NFL starter, but still seems like an ideal backup – who’ll not lose a game for you while in reserve duty. Expect Haener to be viewed as a late-round prospect in the 2023 NFL draft but someone who can carve out a nice pro career nonetheless.”
Dorian Thomas Robinson UCLA 6-7th round
According to Lance Zierlein DTR is ”Five-year starter with below-average size, above-average mobility and a recent history of improvement at the position. Thompson-Robinson played in a favorable scheme for quarterbacks, but he also improved as a field-reader over time. While he can extend plays and create opportunities for himself outside of the pocket, he’s at his best when he’s throwing on time and utilizing possession throws as his base. He has lapses in vision and judgment against zone and when pressured, so he must cut down on ill-advised throws. Thompson-Robinson has the potential to find a home as a QB3 with a QB2 ceiling.”
Stetson Bennett Georgia 6-7th round
According to Ziellein “Bennett will turn 26 years old during his rookie season and he’s small in stature relative to today’s game. Those two things will work against him, but his history of elevating his play in spotlight games against the best competition should be a factor for some teams. He doesn’t have a plus arm and his accuracy and placement can vary from drive to drive, but he throws with anticipation and has shown an ability to get through progressions as a pro-style passer. He’s rarely sacked and has the mobility to do damage outside of the pocket. Bennett has backup potential for a timing-based passing attack that includes concepts often seen in the Shanahan offense.”
The Fan Favorite
Kurt Benkert
Benkert is beloved throughout the state of Wisconsin. The former third stringer made a name for himself defending the Packers from all ridiculous drama on social media. The fans love him. He’s currently with an XFL team but make no mistake about it he wants his chance in the NFL. Benkert might be more suited for the role of practice squad or third string but there are a lot of Cheeseheads who would love to see him get a shot.
If you want more on the situation The Pack A Day Podcast does a great job in this episode. Just click play.
