Packer Central

Eason Gets Opportunity But Understands Reality

The Green Bay Packers signed veteran quarterback Jacob Eason on Tuesday. How long will he be on the team given Jordan Love’s contract situation?

Bill Huber

Jacob Eason
Jacob Eason / Bill Huber/Packer Central
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – Before the first practice of Green Bay Packers training camp on Monday, coach Matt LaFleur said the need for a third quarterback with Jordan Love not practicing would be “something we’re going to have to adjust on the fly.”

Turns out, that quarterback was at the airport and ready to fly.

Having landed in Green Bay on Monday night, the Packers signed veteran Jacob Eason in time for Tuesday’s practice. To make room on the roster, they released rookie long snapper Peter Bowden.

“I got the call yesterday morning, 6:45 West Coast,” Eason said. “So, woke up Monday morning, got a call and was on the plane at noon.”

Eason arrived in Green Bay at about 10:30 p.m. After “five hours of good sleep,” Eason went to the hospital for an MRI, had a couple cups of coffee and was on the field for practice at 10:30 a.m.

“You’ve got the juice from being back in the locker room, so that takes over for the first couple days,” he said. “I’ll get a good night of sleep tonight.”

Eason was a fourth-round pick by the Colts in 2020; Love was the fourth quarterback taken in that class and Eason was the sixth.

He played in one game for the Colts in 2021 and one game for the Panthers in 2022, going a combined 5-of-10 passing for 84 yards with zero touchdowns and two interceptions. Since then, he spent time with San Francisco, Carolina (again) and about a month on the Giants’ practice squad last season.

Eason was one of the tryout players at Green Bay’s rookie camp in May. Since then, he’s been working and waiting for another shot while working on his degree in communications.

“You just stay optimistic and take it a day at a time and let God do what He wants to do. It’s really just taking it a day at a time and doing what you can to control what you can control,” he said.

With his NFL career in limbo, he admitted that it was difficult at times to stay motivated.

“You have your days and you don’t have your days,” he said, “but, for the most part, it’s been part of my routine for the last five years, so I stuck to that and try to remain as optimistic as I can, because you never want to be unprepared when the moment comes. The moment came yesterday, so I was excited to get out here and get to work.”

The challenge for any player who joins a team during training camp is he’s behind the 8-ball from a playbook perspective. Sean Clifford was a fifth-round pick by the team last year so is in Year 2 in coach Matt LaFleur’s offense. Michael Pratt was a seventh-round pick by the team this year. While a rookie, he’s had the playbook in his hand for almost three months.

How quickly can Eason learn the plays so he show his ability to throw the ball to the right player at the right time?

“I guess we’ll find out, right?” he said with a laugh. “I’ve been in several of these situations before so it’s nice. I’ve got some carryover from minicamp and I’ve been in similar systems before, so I think a lot of that in my past will help me with this new playbook.”

That’s assuming he’s in Green Bay long enough. The harsh reality is Eason might not be with the team for long. No matter how sharp he is at practice – he drove the ball through the rain better than Clifford and Pratt – he could be released the moment Love signs a contract extension.

Eason is no dummy. He knows the reality.

“I’m going to do what I can to learn this offense and take advantage of the opportunities I do get,” he said. “Obviously, whatever the coaches decide to do, they’re going to do, and that’s completely out of my control. I’m just here to get better and help the team in any way that I can.”

More Green Bay Packers Training Camp News

Latest from training camp: Big change on depth chart | Three players with most at stake | Highlights from Practice 1 | Players support Jordan Love | Jordan Love’s contract | Takeaways from Gutekunst | Takeaways from LaFleur | Ranking every player on the roster | 53-man roster projection | And another roster projection

Training camp previews: Quarterbacks | Running backs | Receivers | Tight ends | Offensive line | Defensive line | Defensive ends | Linebackers | Cornerbacks | Safeties

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.