Countdown to Camp is a series of stories that will examine the Packers list, position by position, before training camp. The first installment features the quarterbacks.
GREEN BAY – For the first time in five years, the Packers recruited a quarterback.
For the first time in 15 years, they used a first-round pick to do it.
Back then, there was no doubt that Aaron Rodgers would start his rookie season as Brett Favre’s best backup. This is different.
The coronavirus pandemic, which limited the offseason to virtual meetings with just no field work, and threatens to shorten if not eliminate preseason games this summer, could make it extremely difficult for first-round pick Jordan Love to beat the third year. Pro Tim Boyle for the No. 2 QB spot behind Rodgers.
At a minimum, the situation virtually guarantees that the Packers will keep all three on their roster to start the regular season.
Love’s pick in late April, which General Manager Brian Gutekunst traded to make, is the Packers’ biggest personal story in the offseason, but it may not be a great story as 2020 unfolds.
Gutekunst made it clear on draft night that Rodgers remains Green Bay’s QB for the foreseeable future. He is under contract for four more years, while Love has a lot to learn at a professional level.
Also, there is genuine excitement at seeing what Rodgers can do in his second season in head coach Matt LaFleur’s system after the two-time MVP had to learn a new offensive scheme for the first time in over a decade as a starter. of the NFL.
Despite the arduous transition and a receiving body that never established a true No. 2 threat, Rodgers topped 4,000 passing yards for the eighth time in his career, posting a solid passer rating of 95.4 and throwing just four interceptions to lead the Packers to 13- 3 record plus a playoff victory.
