Getty Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers looks to pass against the San Francisco 49ers during the NFC Championship game at Levi's Stadium on January 19, 2020, in Santa Clara, California.
The Green Bay Packers will eventually have to find their quarterback heir to Aaron Rodgers, but Fox Sports Radio host Colin Cowherd doesn’t seem to think 2020 is the right time.
Or so he says now.
Cowherd laid out some clear views on Green Bay’s future at quarterback during his show on Wednesday while addressing reports that both the Packers and Los Angeles Chargers have met virtually with Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts. With the 2020 NFL draft fast approaching, here’s what Cowherd had to say on The Herd about the Packers’ needs at quarterback:
There’s a story out the Packers may draft a quarterback with their first pick, and I think to myself, ‘This is stupid.’ [Rodgers] is not a guy you need to poke in the ribs. He’s still great for another three years minimum. Get him help, do him a solid, don’t try to win the moment. This will not land well for Aaron, nor did Tom Brady like Jimmy Garoppolo hovering over him. I think it’s a mistake if they draft a quarterback even though they may love one of these guys. But I’m going to defend Aaron on this. It would be stupid and the team needs help, not a backup.
He sounds pretty certain for someone who touted the exact opposite take on the Packers less than two months ago. Back in February, Cowherd dedicated a full segment to explaining why the Packers should “absolutely” start planning for life without Rodgers and even endorsed Utah State quarterback Jordan Love as his successor if he were to fall to Green Bay at No. 30 overall.
“Don’t kid yourself on this,” Cowherd said in the previous segment. “Green Bay should draft Jordan Love if he is available.”
Someone should probably remind Cowherd the internet — especially Twitter — keeps receipts.
Cowherd is the best.
LAST MONTH: The Packers should absolutely draft a QB with their first pick! Absolutely! It’s the right thing to do!!!
TODAY: It’s STUPID for the Packers to draft a QB with their first pick!
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Packers Left Door Open on Drafting QB
Brett Favre was 35 years old when the Packers drafted Rodgers to be his successor-in-training in 2005, which has left people wondering how the Packers will proceed with their current starter as he heads toward his 37th birthday next December.
Packers General Manager Brian Gutekunst left the door open on the possibility of drafting a quarterback in the first round of 2020 during the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this year, saying the option is “always on the table.” They are also making sure to do their research, with pre-draft meetings arranged with two of the class’ top quarterback prospects — Love and Hurts.
“Everything I’ve been taught, that’s where you start,” Gutekunst said at the Combine. “You start with the quarterback. So you evaluate them every year, and I think it’s always on the table. It’s a good crop this year. It’s a good group of quarterbacks. I think it’s a little deeper than it has been in the past. It will be interesting.”
While the Packers are doing their due diligence, there is nothing to suggest they like any particular target or that, if the right one is out there, he will fall to them at No. 30. Not many expect Love to still be around after about the mid-20s, but Hurts will most likely still be available after the first round.
The Packers also have 10 total draft picks — five in the final two rounds — to potentially use as bargaining chips for a trade-up if they really saw something they liked, but it doesn’t seem the likely move considering Rodgers is signed through the 2023 season and there are more pressing needs to address before barreling into next season.
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