Green Bay Packers Draft Aaron Rodgers' Replacement, GM Hasn't Spoken With Quarterback

The Green Bay Packers made the most surprising move of Thursday’s NFL Draft when they traded up from No.30 to No.26 in order to take Utah State’s Jordan Love. Aaron Rodgers might have been among those that didn’t see the selection coming, considering the general manager seemingly didn’t alert the quarterback ahead of time.

“I haven’t connected with Aaron yet but he’s obviously been through this and he’s a pro,” Packers GM Brian Gutekunst told reporters Thursday night. “I think certainly this is something that is a long-term decision. I think when you go through the way things went tonight, you run the short term and the long term. The way the board fell, this was the best decision for the Packers. I think obviously Aaron’s been around for a long time and he knows what we’re playing for right now and that’s what’s most important right now.”

Green Bay won the NFC North in the 2019 season, earning the No.2 seed with a 13-3 record. After beating the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional playoffs, the Packers were defeated by the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game.

Rodgers will be the starting quarterback in 2020. Green Bay is set up to be a Super Bowl contender. Love might not get the starting job anytime soon, but trading up in the first round suggests that the Packers are planning for the signal caller to replace Rodgers at some point.

Rodgers was part of a similar situation when Green Bay picked him in the first round of the 2005 draft. Brett Favre had just led the Packers to a division title. Rodgers sat on the bench for three years before replacing Favre as Green Bay’s starter in 2008.

Favre made eight Pro Bowls, was a three-time NFL MVP and won a Super Bowl with the Packers. Rodgers is an eight-time Pro Bowl selection, a two-time MVP and a one-time Super Bowl champion.

There’s a chance Rodgers’ MVP-caliber seasons are behind him. The 36-year-old had a 95.4 passer rating in 2019, ranking 12th in the league. He failed to post a triple-digit passer rating in 2018, as well, completing 62% of his passes over the last two years.

Rodgers did make the Pro Bowl in both 2018 and 2019. He had the NFL’s lowest interception rate both seasons, doing so without an elite group of weapons.

“We have the best quarterback in the National Football League and we plan to have him for a while competing for championships,” Gutekunst said.

“I think he'll be a pro's pro. He's playing for legacy-type things, historic-type stuff. I know he's very, very motivated.”