Packers Trade Pitch Nets Former Falcons Starter as Jordan Love Backup

Getty QB Taylor Heinicke of the Atlanta Falcons.

The Green Bay Packers locked up their QB of the future with a long-term extension for Jordan Love this summer, but the entire position group behind him is on shaky ground.

Backup quarterback Sean Clifford clearly struggled with first-team reps as Love held out of camp waiting for an extension to sign. Clifford then posted a mediocre outing in the team’s first preseason game on August 10 against the Cleveland Browns. And now, with less than a month until the start of the season, NFL writers are beginning to float the possibility of Clifford as a cut candidate.

Green Bay is also a contender, not just to win the NFC North Division, but to make a deep postseason run after winning a playoff game following last season. Not all backup QB needs are created equal, but the Packers fall in the category of upper-echelon teams that should be sure they have a quality option should something happen to the star starter, lest they squander an opportunity for a Super Bowl run.

Clifford has thrown three regular-season passes in his career, while Michael Pratt is a seventh-round rookie. With one of the least proven QB rooms in the entire league — including Love to a degree, as he has been the regular starter for just one season — the Packers are prime candidates to upgrade under center.

There are a handful of possibilities, though trading for veteran Taylor Heinicke of the Atlanta Falcons is among the most sensible.

Taylor Heinicke Has Stronger Resumé Than Either of Packers’ Backup QBs

GettyAtlanta Falcons quarterback Taylor Heinicke.

Heinicke has six years of NFL experience and a resumé that proves he can handle the starting job in a pinch.

He has appeared in 38 games, including 29 starts, with a record of 13-15-1. Heinicke owns a 62.5% career completion percentage and has thrown for 6,635 yards, 39 TDs and 28 INTs across stints with the Houston Texans, Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders.

During his one essentially full year as a starter with the Commanders in 2021, Heinicke completed 65% of his throws and put up 3,419 passing yards, 20 TDs and 15 INTS while leading Washington to a 7-8 record.

While that is not necessarily the type of history a contender like Green Bay would prefer to build a team around, Heinicke has proven himself a serviceable enough starter that he would qualify as one of the better backup quarterbacks in the league as he enters his age-31 season.

He could also provide the Packers with injury insurance behind Love, which could prove vastly more valuable than whatever his trade cost might be.

Taylor Heinicke Reasonably Priced for Backup Quarterback

GettyAtlanta Falcons quarterback Taylor Heinicke.

What that cost is precisely could vary based on the scenario. However, a Day 3 draft pick is a reasonable starting point considering the trade price for backup-level QBs in recent summers.

For instance, the Browns sent Josh Dobbs to the Arizona Cardinals last year for a fifth-round pick.

Heinicke also counts just $4.5 million toward the salary cap this season, the last on his contract, which is a reasonable number considering a player like free agent Ryan Tannehill has a projected market value of nearly $8 million annually.

The Packers have more than $22.4 million in available salary cap space as of Wednesday.