Packers Thrilled With Jordan Love, Sean Clifford But Might Draft Quarterback
INDIANAPOLIS – At Podium 4 at the Indiana Convention Center on Tuesday morning, Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst talked about hitting a home run with Jordan Love, a quarterback selected with Aaron Rodgers on the roster.
Speaking at the same time at Podium 8 was New England Patriots director of scouting Eliot Wolf, the son of legendary former Packers general manager Ron Wolf. The elder Wolf never shied away from drafting a quarterback, even with Brett Favre on the roster.
Gutekunst and Eliot Wolf are friends and contemporaries, having learned from Ron Wolf and Ted Thompson while in Green Bay together.
With his team needing a quarterback, Eliot Wolf was asked how the Packers have had an uninterrupted string of success in going from Favre to Rodgers to Love.
“Luck,” Wolf joked.
Maybe, but you make your own luck. Gutekunst didn’t need a quarterback when he selected Love. And he doesn’t need a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft with Love and promising Sean Clifford atop the depth chart.
That doesn’t mean Gutekunst won’t draft another quarterback in two months.
In fact, he’d like to, so long as the stars align.
“Getting back to drafting multiple quarterbacks is something that I’ve wanted to do,” Gutekunst told a small group of local reporters on Tuesday in a conference room at the Westin. “We kind of went away from that for a few years and I’d like to get back to that because I just think having young talented quarterbacks on your roster that the coaches can develop, I just think is really healthy and important for a franchise.”
It worked for the Hall of Famer Wolf. In 1998, he used a sixth-round pick on Matt Hasselbeck. Three years later, Wolf traded him to Seattle to move up seven spots in the first round and gain an additional third-round pick. In 1999, Wolf selected Aaron Brooks in the fourth round. A year later, Wolf traded him to New Orleans for a third-round pick.
With Love poised to get a contract extension this offseason and with Clifford under contract for the next three years, quarterback might be at the bottom of the list of Green Bay’s offseason needs.
A fifth-round pick last year, Clifford didn’t get any meaningful regular-season playing time but had an impressive training camp and preseason.
“He’s absolutely proven he can be a No. 2, and maybe more than that,” Gutekunst said. “Sean did a great job in his first year. I thought you guys saw it. The exciting thing about Sean is he played a lot of football in college, had a lot of experience. His play style, his aggressiveness, you guys saw in preseason his ability to play in the fire and overcome anything that’s going on in the game was pretty unique for a young guy. So, we’re very excited about Sean and where he’s headed.
“But I’d love to continue to bring in quarterbacks, not only for the competition but for the development of them. Because I do think it takes time. It takes time, any player, but a quarterback particularly in a comfort zone of what he’s doing where you can really see his talent come out. I think Sean hit that pretty early compared to most, but I think that’s important you give that player the time to get there.”
Gutekunst liked this year’s quarterback class. While first-round prospects Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels and J.J. McCarthy get the hype, Gutekunst saw depth.
And possibilities.
“Still getting to know these guys a little bit but I think there will be opportunities,” he said. “Top of the draft is pretty good, like you were talking about, and there’s a number of guys, with that particular position, just because how few guys are in the room, it’s a little bit just personal preference what you’re looking for. There’s some guys with interesting skill-sets that are going to get taken later that might have a pretty good chance to make it.”
