The Green Bay Packers now have their current franchise quarterback and a potential future one, too.
Most would consider such an updated state worthy of positive marks following a draft, even if Packers fans focused on winning now are displeased. Those irritated supporters might not have had a choice anyway. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported the Packers were “adamant” about trading up for Utah State quarterback Jordan Love, arranging for multiple deals to trade up, including one deal in which the Packers would have moved up to No. 27 in a trade with Seattle.
Packers trade up for Jordan Love
The Packers didn’t end up doing so because they swung a swap with Miami to move up to No. 26, where they selected Love and surprised much of the football world. After all, Green Bay has 36-year-old signal-caller Aaron Rodgers, who is undoubtedly still in his prime.
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In a draft in which the Packers could have added a weapon for Rodgers, they instead moved up to spend their highest pick on Rodgers’ eventual successor.
Green Bay preparing for future
No other team was all that interested in moving up to take Love, according to Rapoport. With Rodgers still very capable of winning but also not exactly 25 years old, it would make sense if the quarterback became disgruntled by such a forward-looking decision. Then again, Rodgers came into the league in a similar fashion as the 24th pick in the 2005 draft and the heir apparent to Brett Favre.
It’s been widely publicized how Favre wasn’t exactly keen on helping Rodgers take his job. Some have expected Rodgers to react similarly, but according to Rapoport, Rodgers and Love have connected since the draft. And this won’t be a succession plan that is set into motion in 2020 or 2021; Packers coach Matt LaFleur told NFL Network’s Michael Silver the organization still has “incredible confidence” in Rodgers, who they expect to remain in Green Bay long term.
Development was the plan for the Packers on Day 1 of the 2020 draft. We will have to wait a while to see if they were wise in that decision.
This article was first published by NFL.com.
