The Green Bay Packers will have a lot of questions that need answering before the 2023 season, including what the future holds with Aaron Rodgers and the quarterback position.
At 4-8, the Packers are nearly out of the playoff race, with Rodgers beginning to hint at being benched for the rest of the season to let backup Jordan Love play out the year. The reigning back-to-back MVP suffered another injury in Week 12 against the Philadelphia Eagles, but Rodgers is still determined to play against the Chicago Bears.
Rodgers has not made a decision yet on whether or not he plans to play in 2023, but if he doesn’t the Packers will have some tough decisions to make. Brad Gagnon suggested a stop-gap solution for the Packers at quarterback next season, naming Green Bay as a landing spot for Jimmy Garoppolo.
“If by chance this is Aaron Rodgers’ last year in Green Bay, a Packers team looking to save face and bounce back quickly could try to smooth things over with a veteran like Garoppolo,” Gagnon said.
What Does the Future Hold for Jimmy G?
Garoppolo wasn’t expecting to be back in San Francisco for the 2022 season, but his return to the starting lineup has made his future even more interesting in 2023 and beyond.
Heading into this season, Garoppolo was anticipating a trade. However, the 49ers restructured the veteran QB’s contract, allowing him to stay in San Francisco as a backup with incentives in case he became the starter once again.
Trey Lance was the starter at the beginning of the year, but a season-ending injury forced Garoppolo back onto the field. The 31-year-old QB has played at a surprisingly high level as the starter once again, posting a 103.0 passer rating with 16 touchdowns and just four interceptions.
However, Garoppolo’s days in San Francisco are still numbered. The 49ers quarterback will be a free agent after this season, and all signs are pointing towards the franchise going back to Lance once he’s fully healthy.
The good news for Garoppolo is that he’s at least shown this season that he’s still more than capable of playing at a high level. That will help him earn plenty of interest in free agency next offseason, potentially creating a bidding war between QB-needy teams for Garoppolo’s services.
It’s been a roller coaster of a career for Garoppolo, who started out behind Tom Brady in New England. It’s unclear where he’ll play next, but this season will help Garoppolo find another team in 2023.
Do the Packers Trust Jordan Love as Their Next Franchise QB?
With Rodgers’ future up in the air, it makes the situation with former first-round pick Jordan Love even more difficult. Even if the future Hall of Fame quarterback retires, it’s no guarantee that the Packers trust Love to be the long-term starter.
The Packers will have to make a decision on whether or not they want to pick up Love’s fifth-year option prior to the start of the 2023 season. Declining that option doesn’t guarantee the Packers won’t try to re-sign Love, but it will complicate things even more than they already are.
That being said, Love showed some glimpses of what he’s capable of in the fourth quarter against the Eagles. He completed six of nine pass attempts for 113 yards and a touchdown, posting an impressive passer rating of 146.8.
Time will tell what the future holds for Love, but he could have more opportunities to prove himself as the 2022 season winds down.
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Packers Named Landing Spot for Super Bowl Quarterback