There are plenty of people that question how the Packers do things.
But what you cannot question is how the Packers manage their quarterback room.
The last Packers quarterback drafted as a rookie and started that same season was Don Majikowski in 1987. He made five starts and threw five touchdowns and three picks.
The problem now is, all the young college guys come into the NFL expecting to play right away.
But the Packers have proven that isn’t how to win. Aaron Rodgers was drafted 24th overall and sat three years behind Brett Favre before getting his first start. Jordan Love was drafted 26th overall and didn’t even suit up his entire rookie season. He got one start in 2021 and didn’t get another start until 2023 when he became the full-time starter.
“We’re fortunate that we’ve got a guy that’s played at the highest level,” said Packers coach Matt LaFleur in 2019 about Rodgers. “The last thing we want to do is put him in a position where he’s not comfortable with something. Because if he’s not comfortable with it, he’s not going to be confident in it.”
The two main themes there are comfort and confidence. When you have a highly skilled position like quarterback, you need both attributes to work in sync with one another to have success. And in order for that to happen, the rest of the offense also needs to be able to trust him.
The Packers have mastered this concept by just sitting the quarterback. It is the most important position in all of sports. And the rest of the team is left to think: If the coach is going to sit the quarterback that they just drafted in the first round, then nobody is safe.
And that’s how it should be. Players should remain competitive obviously about winning and being successful, but they need to be competitive about making sure that their job is thers by the time the season opener rolls around.
The Packers could have played Rodgers or Love right away as rookies but neither would have seen much success. They still had plenty to digest in terms of being a pro to reading intricate defenses.
That’s why it makes sense to always sit rookie quarterbacks. The Bears didn’t have much choice after taking Caleb Williams first overall in 2024. But pairing him with a solid veteran instead of Tyson Bagent, who played college football at tiny Shepherd University, would’ve made more sense.
There is also fear that the rookie quarterback will cause such a problem because he’s not playing that the team will be forced to play him. That’s where the Packers come in by judging character so well.
In the age of NIL and the transfer portal, college stars are always looking for the next quick fix. If they are at a situation that doesn’t enhance their skill set, they will quickly find one that does.
That doesn’t fly in the NFL. Even top players have to get in line and understand a role. After not suiting up for the entir the 2020 season, Love came back to training camp the following season and looked great. His footwork and accuracy were much better.
It has worked for the Packers because the quarterbacks trust what they are doing. They aren’t going to throw someone out there and watch him get sacked 70 times. He’s just going to be gun shy the following season and it will affect his long-term growth.
And that’s why the Packers have been so good with quarterbacks. They know they have to play the long game and resist the urge to play someone just because of his training camp skill set.
The quarterback that follows Love will be asked to do the same thing and with Rodgers and Love having done the same thing already, the blueprint for success has already been written.