Packers Named Best Fit for ‘Savvy’ Young Quarterback

The Green Bay Packers need to find a backup quarterback to Jordan Love with Aaron Rodgers soon to be on the move, and general manager Brian Gutekunst can find a backup with plenty of college experience in the 2023 NFL draft.

Assuming that Rodgers will be gone before the start of the 2023 season, Danny Etling is currently the only other quarterback on the roster besides Love. A veteran backup is a possibility, but given their cap constraints, the Packers are more likely to pick up a young QB on Day 3 of this year’s draft. Gutekunst is already doing his homework on some potential backups, bringing in both Hendon Hooker and Sean Clifford for top-30 visits.

ESPN’s Matt Miller and Jordan Reid gave out their best team fits for the top quarterback prospects in this year’s draft. While prospects like Bryce Young and Anthony Richardson were given obvious fits at the top of this year’s draft class, the Packers were linked to an intriguing Day 3 target in Fresno State’s Jake Haener.

“Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst would be smart to add another passer here, just in case Jordan Love isn’t what many hope he can become,” Miller said. “We’re not expecting similar early-career exploits [as Brock Purdy], but Haener is a similar kind of dude at quarterback. He throws good passes with consistency and is a savvy processor. Since no one knows how good Love actually can be as a full-time starter, I like this move a lot.”

Who Is Fresno State QB Jake Haener?

The Packers have had luck drafting out of Fresno State in the past, taking superstar wide receiver Davante Adams in the second round back in 2014. Haener could be the next Bulldogs star to find a home in Green Bay.

Haener was a 3-star recruit coming out of high school in California back in 2017, originally committing to Washington. He spent two seasons with the program as a backup before transferring to Fresno State, where he became the starting QB for three seasons from 2020 through 2022.

In those three years, Haener went a combined 21-8 as a starter while throwing for 9,013 yards, 67 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions while earning first- and second-team All-Mountain West honors in 2021 and 2022.

At just 6’0″ and 207 pounds, Haener is a smaller QB prospect with limited arm talent. However, his mental processing and pocket awareness allows him to consistently making the right throw, making him an intriguing backup option for a team like the Packers.

Latest on Aaron Rodgers

Despite all the talk about backup quarterbacks, Rodgers is still currently on the Packers roster with no guarantee as to when he’ll finally be traded.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter shared that the Packers and Jets are dug in heading into this year’s draft, with the possibility that a trade not being finalized until after the three-day event. If that’s the case, then the Packers would miss out on some extra assets to help out Love in his first year as a full-time starter.

A trade between the two sides was apparently in place before free agency according to Charles Robinson with Yahoo! Sports, but Jets owner Woody Johnson got cold feet when Rodgers shared that he was leaning towards retirement prior to his darkness retreat. Robinson also shared that the Packers asking price at the moment is a second-round pick along with a first-round pick in 2024.

There’s a chance that the two teams get a deal done during the 2023 NFL Draft, but at the moment there’s little indication of when a trade is expected to be finalized.