Alex McGough (Photo by USA Today Sports Images)

Packers Working Out USFL MVP Quarterback

None of the Packers' two backup quarterbacks, Danny Etling and Sean Clifford, have thrown a pass in the NFL.

Author:
Jacob Westendorf
Publish date:
Jul 18, 2023 12:04 PM EDT

In this story:

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers, with Jordan Love set to take over as the starting quarterback and no backups who’ve thrown a pass in the NFL, are working out 2023 USFL MVP Alex McGough on Tuesday, a source confirmed to Packer Central.

(Update: McGough was signed.)

McGough was a seventh-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks out of Florida International.

McGough rewrote the FIU record book while in college. He finished second in school history with 9,084 passing yards and has a school-record 65 touchdown passes.

He played in two preseasons with the Seahawks, throwing for 476 yards and three touchdowns.

He was on the practice squad for the 2020 season but did not see any game action due to the preseason being cancelled for COVID-19 purposes.

He was waived prior to the 2021 season and found his way into the USFL. McGough was drafted sixth overall by the Birmingham Stallions, where he teamed up with former Packers tight end Jace Sternberger.

McGough led the league in touchdown passes with 20 and finished third with 2,104 passing yards. He added five rushing touchdowns, showcasing some of his athletic ability.

McGough took his game to another level in the postseason, accounting for nine total touchdowns and completing nearly 70 percent of his passes to help lead the Stallions to the league’s championship.

“It’s been crazy. From starting as a freshman at college to getting cut and getting cut again,” McGough said before this year’s USFL Championship Game. “To being here and being hurt, not playing, then coming to the championship.”

The Packers are in a transition period at quarterback. A year ago, they probably had the best quarterback room in football, with Aaron Rodgers the reigning back-to-back league MVP and 2020 first-round pick waiting in the wings.

It’s rare for a team to have two high ceiling talents like that on the roster.

Fast forward a year and the situation has changed dramatically.

Last year’s backup is now the starter. He has little experience under his belt.

The two players on the roster behind him have less than that. Sean Clifford and Danny Etling have attempted zero passes in an NFL regular season game.

Clifford, a fifth-round pick this year, started 33 games at Penn State. Etling was in Green Bay last preseason. He played sparingly, throwing 22 passes in three games for 220 yards while adding a 51-yard touchdown run.

It’s difficult to envision the Packers being confident in either player having to start in the event Love missed time with an injury. While McGough has not played an NFL regular-season snap, either, he at least has high-level experience in a professional league.

The Packers ignored the veteran quarterback market in free agency, though Carson Wentz, Nick Foles, and Teddy Bridgewater are all still available.

While they’re not signing one of the more established veterans, the team might be looking to add to the competition. McGough is 27. Along with his stint with Seattle, he spent time with Jacksonville, Houston and Seattle again.

Before the 2018 NFL Draft, he measured 6-foot-3 3/8 and 214 pounds. He ran his 40 in 4.70 seconds. His 9 1/8-inch hands are a bit on the small size.