The Green Bay Packers are signing a No. 3 quarterback to their practice squad, but it is neither of the two signal-callers who spent training camp with them.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Bill Huber, the Packers are signing former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Clayton Tune to their practice squad after he cleared waivers on Wednesday following his release from the Cardinals during the 53-man roster cutdown.
Tune, a 2023 fifth-round pick, will now effectively replace Sean Clifford as the Packers‘ third-string quarterback on the practice squad. Clifford had held the role in 2024 and duked it out with rookie Taylor Elgersma for the job again in 2025 over the past month in camp and the preseason, but the Packers ultimately decided to move on from both.
Tune went 10 spots higher than Clifford in the 2023 NFL draft, but the Packers did not host him for an official top 30 visit beforehand in the spring like they did with Clifford.
Nevertheless, it is Tune who will head into the 2025 season as the Packers‘ third-string quarterback behind third-year starter Jordan Love and primary backup Malik Willis.
Clayton Tune Struggled in Only Career Start in 2023
Tune has more playing experience to offer the Packers than Clifford, having started one game for the Cardinals as a rookie in 2023, but his lone start was far from spectacular.
After trading veteran Josh Dobbs at the 2023 trade deadline, the Cardinals called upon Tune to make his first career start against the Cleveland Browns in Week 9 while they waited for starter Kyler Murray to return to full strength. What unfolded was one of the team’s most brutal losses of the season, as Tune went 11-of-20 passing for 47 yards and one interception and the Brown routed the Cardinals to the tune of a 27-0 shutout.
The point being that, while the Packers will naturally hope the occasion to play their third-string quarterback never arises, they have some work to do developing him into a quarterback worth keeping on their roster. His role is relatively minimal week to week, but he can earn himself some staying power if he can pick up the offense quickly.
And if he cannot, the Packers could seek out a replacement sooner rather than later.
Have Packers Fully Turned the Page on Sean Clifford?
The Packers are seemingly signaling that they are done with Clifford for good this time after waiving him from their initial roster and not re-signing him to the practice squad.
Could their minds change at a later date, though?
Clifford didn’t exactly wow in his limited preseason action. He completed 9-of-17 passes (52.9%) for 44 yards, equating to roughly 2.6 yards per passing attempt. He also did not have a single completion of more than 11 yards, setting the production bar quite low.
By contrast, the rookie Elgersma went 16-of-23 passing for 166 yards and a touchdown.
In all likelihood, the Packers have turned the page completely on Clifford after spending two full seasons and a third offseason evaluating his potential for their roster. Perhaps if he had made a surprise push for Willis’ job or shown meaningful growth in camp, the Packers would reconsider, but they likely know what they have in him at this point.
Packers Sign Ex-Cardinals Quarterback to Replace Sean Clifford