Packers Need Quarterback; Who’s Left in NFL Free Agency?

There’s no doubt Jordan Love is going to replace Aaron Rodgers as the Green Bay Packers’ starting quarterback. Are there are any competent veterans remaining in free agency?

GREEN BAY, Wis. – With Aaron Rodgers destined for the New York Jets, the Green Bay Packers have only two quarterbacks on the roster: new starter Jordan Love and Danny Etling.

Clearly, the Packers need another quarterback. They always have three for the offseason practices and training camp, and they carry a developmental third quarterback either on the 53-man roster or on the practice squad.

There are two ways for general manager Brian Gutekunst to round out his quarterback room.

One approach would be to add a veteran, which might be the common-sense approach with Love having one career start under his belt and Etling having not thrown a pass in five years in the NFL. A veteran who’s experienced all that Love is about to encounter would be invaluable.

The other way would be to follow the Ted Thompson model. In 2008, with Brett Favre traded and Rodgers ready to take over, Thompson drafted Brian Brohm in the second round and Matt Flynn in the seventh round.

Gutekunst might have to go young again because the veteran market has been picked over like a bad potluck. That continued late Thursday night, when the Philadelphia Eagles signed Marcus Mariota to a one-year deal worth $5 million.

Mariota was a bust as the second pick of the 2015 draft, but he’s athletic and experienced (74 career starts). Notably, his best season came with LaFleur in Tennessee in 2018, when he completed a career-high 68.9 percent of his passes. For his career, he’s thrown 92 touchdowns vs. 54 interceptions.

Andy Dalton, who threw 18 touchdowns vs. nine interceptions in 14 starts with the Saints last year, signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the Carolina Panthers. He’ll be the mentor for whoever they draft No. 1 overall.

Case Keenum, who went 11-3 with the Vikings in 2017 and has made 64 career starts, signed a two-year, $6.25 million contract with the Houston Texans. He’ll mentor whoever they draft at No. 2 overall.

Gardner Minshew, with an impressive 44 touchdowns vs. 15 interceptions while making 24 career starts, signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Indianapolis Colts. He could be the Week 1 starter ahead of whoever they draft at No. 4 overall.

Taylor Heinicke, with 32 touchdowns vs. 21 interceptions the last two seasons with the Washington Commanders, signed a two-year, $14 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons. He might challenge 2022 third-rounder Desmond Ridder for the starting job.

Jacoby Brissett, with 48 starts in seven seasons, signed a one-year, $8 million contract with Washington, where he’ll battle 2022 fifth-rounder Sam Howell for the starting job.

Sam Darnold was a bust as the third pick of the 2018 draft but almost led the Carolina Panthers to last year’s playoffs. He signed a one-year, $4.5 million contract with the San Francisco 49ers. Given the state of Trey Lance and Brock Purdy, he could be the Week 1 starter.

Baker Mayfield, the No. 1 pick of the 2018 draft who faltered after throwing 26 touchdowns vs. eight picks in 2020, signed a one-year, $4 million contract to potentially replace Tom Brady with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Drew Lock, who the Packers were interested in drafting in 2019, signed a one-year, $4 million contract to return to the Seattle Seahawks.

Jarrett Stidham, who replaced Derek Carr for the final couple games in Las Vegas last year, signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the Denver Broncos.

Mike White, with seven starts the last two years with the Jets, signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the Miami Dolphins.

Kyle Allen, with 19 starts in five seasons, will replace Keenum in Buffalo.

Nick Mullens, whose spent his entire career in a Matt LaFleur-style offense, re-signed with the Minnesota Vikings.

With Mariota off the board, that's 13 capable veterans who are off the market. Who’s left?

The “shoulder shrug” emoji came back from one team’s pro scout. It was a dumb question to ask; his team was looking for a backup, too.

Best Free Agent Fits

Here are three options:

Aaron Rodgers and Trevor Siemian speak following the Packers-Broncos preseason game in Denver in 2017. (Photo by Ron Chenoy/USA Today Sports)

Trevor Siemian started 24 games for the Broncos in 2016 and 2017 and 30 games overall. He went to Northwestern, so he must be smart, right? He spent all of last season with the Bears running Luke Getsy’s offense, which he brought with him from Green Bay. He’s thrown 42 touchdowns vs. 28 interceptions in his career. He’s not mobile.

Cooper Rush replaced injured Dak Prescott and won his first four starts before throwing three interceptions in a loss to Philadelphia. He’s thrown five touchdowns vs. three interceptions in 212 attempts spread over six appearances. Contrary to his name, he’s not mobile.

Mason Rudolph, a third-round pick by Pittsburgh in 2019, started eight games as a rookie and one more time in both 2020 and 2021. He did not get any snaps in 2022. In those 10 starts, he tossed 16 touchdowns vs. 11 interceptions. He’s not mobile, either.

Other options include several members of the over-the-hill gang.

Former MVP Matt Ryan and Super Bowl champions Carson Wentz and Joe Flacco are available but are they interested in being a backup quarterback? Remember, Love is the starter, period, not the starter by default. This won’t be a quarterback competition.

Brian Hoyer, who was released by New England on Thursday, and Chase Daniel are 37 and 36, respectively. Josh Johnson, 36, was part of the 49ers’ quarterbacking disaster in the NFC Championship Game at Philadelphia and has a couple stints in a Packers-style system.

Good-Bye (Soon), Aaron Rodgers; Hello, Jordan Love

The #Packers could have drafted Tee Higgins in 2020. Instead, GM Brian Gutekunst traded up for Jordan Love.
After three years on the bench, it's Love's time to prove that he wasn't a wasted draft pick.https://t.co/U19fBW92yc

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) March 16, 2023

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Green Bay Packers Free Agency News

Robert Tonyan, who caught just about everything thrown his way during his #Packers career, signed a one-year contract to join Luke Getsy and the Chicago Bears.https://t.co/nS7qMOGAmU

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) March 17, 2023

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