With Packers Drafting Love, Colts Trade for Wentz

GREEN BAY, Wis. – When Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst traded up to get Jordan Love in the first round of last year’s draft, the presumption was it was to beat the Indianapolis Colts to the Utah State quarterback.

Ultimately, only Colts general manager Chris Ballard knows whether that was true. Regardless, Love went through his rookie season as the No. 3 quarterback behind Aaron Rodgers and Tim Boyle, and Ballard settled on fourth-round pick Jacob Eason as the developmental quarterback behind Philip Rivers and Jacoby Brissett.

With Rivers retiring after leading the Colts to the playoffs, Ballard acquired Carson Wentz in a big trade on Thursday.

What’s interesting is the draft picks involved.

To get Love, universally considered a talented project, Gutekunst used first- and fourth-round draft picks.

To get Wentz, universally considered a talented reclamation project, Ballard gave up a third-round pick in 2021 and an additional draft pick in 2022. If in 2021 Wentz plays 75 percent of the snaps or 70 percent of the snaps and the Colts make the playoffs, a conditional second-round selection would become a first-round choice in 2022.

Assuming Wentz reaches that playing-time threshold – a logical assumption given he has four years and $98 million remaining on his contract – then the Packers landed Love for less draft capital. And they also got Love for a lot less money, with his four-year deal costing $12.38 million.

Of course, Love is a completely unproven commodity. Wentz, at least, has something of a quality track record. In 2017 and 2018, he posted 100-plus passer ratings. In 2017, he delivered an 11-2 record as the starter before a season-ending injury. Nick Foles picked up the baton to help the Eagles win the Super Bowl.

Frank Reich was the offensive coordinator of the Eagles and is the head coach of the Colts.

Wentz’s career has cratered without Reich. He went from a 69.6 percent completion rate in 2018 to 63.9 in 2019 and 57.4 in 2020. This season, he led the NFL in interceptions despite being benched for the final four games of the season. His last playing time came in a 30-16 loss at Green Bay. Wentz was 6-of-15 passing for 79 yards and was sacked four times before being replaced by rookie Jalen Hurts.

The Colts have gone from +2500 to win the Super Bowl to +2200.

Love, once the presumptive successor to Rodgers, now faces his own murky future in Green Bay with the team recommitting to Rodgers as its long-term starter.