The Green Bay Packers are stuck in a very difficult spot with quarterback Jordan Love’s injury.
While the team avoided the nuclear scenario of Love missing the rest of the season, his reported MCL injury sustained Friday in Brazil reportedly will keep him out for anywhere from three to six weeks during the regular season, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
That stretch for the Packers isn’t necessarily as treacherous as it could be, with games against the Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Rams, Arizona Cardinals and Houston Texans all within the next six weeks.
The Packers will want Love back as soon as possible, but they’ll also want to make sure he’s healthy for the second half of the season. They’ll want to make sure they’re as competitive as possible while he’s out, but they’re really not in a spot to make a major move at quarterback with Love coming back.
There are options out there for the Packers, as the team can roll with what it has in-house or decide to bring in a journeyman veteran quarterback to keep the ship steady until Love is able to return.
Option 1: Roll with Malik Willis and Sean Clifford
It’s very possible (if not the most likely scenario) for the Packers to just roll with Willis, who they acquired via trade with the Titans before the regular season started, and Clifford, the quarterback on their practice squad.
Willis would start in that scenario, and Clifford would back him up. Willis started a couple of games for the Titans in 2022, going 1-2 and throwing for 276 yards and three interceptions in that span. While we’re not sure how he’d do for three or more games behind center for Green Bay, he’s their best option in the building. We’d guess the Packers would try to utilize his legs and lean on the run game as much as possible during that stretch and draw up a low-risk passing attack that focuses on short gains and safe bets.
Option 2: Trade for a vet like Joe Flacco to keep the ship steady as possible
There is not a better journeyman quarterback in the NFL right now than Flacco, who went 4-1 as a starter for the Cleveland Browns last season after signing with the team right before Thanksgiving. He literally won NFL Comeback Player of the Year during that five-game stretch and started in a playoff game for Cleveland.
If the Colts are okay with having Sam Ehlinger back up Anthony Richardson at quarterback for a while, Indianapolis could send Flacco to Green Bay for a month or more and then maybe sign him back once Love is healthy and Green Bay no longer needs his services. Heck, maybe the Packers just hold onto Flacco for the season and the Colts roll with Ehlinger. Either way, the Packers starting Flacco while Love is out could provide real stability.
Other backups that could maybe be had in a trade are Mac Jones (Jacksonville Jaguars), Jimmy Garoppolo (Los Angeles Rams), Carson Wentz (Kansas City Chiefs), Joshua Dobbs (San Franciscio 49ers) and Andy Dalton (Carolina Panthers).
Option 3: Sign a quarterback off another team’s practice squad
If the Packers don’t feel comfortable with Willis starting for a prolonged amount of time and don’t want to trade for a vet like Flacco, the team could always look to another team’s practice squad. Solid stopgap with starting experience names out there include Mike White (Buffalo Bills), Bailey Zappe (Kansas City Chiefs), Will Grier (Philadelphia Eagles) and Desmond Ridder (Arizona Cardinals). However, Willis is on par with those guys.
Option 4: Sign a veteran out of free agency
We’re not sure how quarterback Ryan Tannehill would feel about starting for a month or so for the Packers before ceding the job to Love once he’s healthy and hanging around Titletown as a Grade-A backup for the rest of the season. If he’s willing, he’s the best option out there outside of a trade for someone like Flacco. If Tannehill wants to wait for a permanent starting job in 2024, veterans like C.J. Beathard, Nate Sudfeld, P.J. Walker and Trevor Siemian are currently available as free agents. All have started NFL games.
Option 5: Try to convince a vet like Nick Foles to come back to the NFL
This is the most unlikely scenario on the table for the Packers, as most NFL quarterbacks who decide to retire keep it that way. However, if the Packers really don’t like any of the options above, they could always try to convince someone like Nick Foles (who hasn’t played since 2022) to join Green Bay for the rest of the season. The Packers probably won’t take this path, but we’ll present it anyhow just for the sake of it. Don’t count on Teddy Bridgewater, however. He’s coaching high school football this fall.
