Packers' Three Best Quarterback Options in 2023
The Green Bay Packers face a crossroads at quarterback this offseason. Aaron Rodgers is in the dark to contemplate his future, leaving the franchise to wait and see what he decides to do. Most expect Rodgers back in the NFL next season, but he may not want to be with the Packers anymore. If that happens, a trade will be necessary. Green Bay's quarterback situation is effectively up in the air right now.
What follows is our look at the Packers' three best options at quarterback for 2023.
Aaron Rodgers
The most obvious answer to this question is the guy who has been Green Bay's starting quarterback for the past 15 seasons. Rodgers and the Packers may not be on great terms. He's probably the team's best option under center regardless. It could be time for the two sides to part ways, but actually moving Rodgers may be more difficult than just keeping him and running it back one more time.
The four-time MVP is coming off the worst season of his career. In 17 games, the 39-year-old completed 64.6 percent of his passes for 3,695 yards, with 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. His yards per attempt (6.8), passer rating (91.1) and QBR (39.3) were all career-lows. All that said, Rodgers is the most likely option on this list. It's hard for players to move and teams to move on, even more so when the player has a contract like Rodgers'. After 18 seasons together, the Packers and Rodgers may just decide to stick it out.
Jordan Love
The Packers liked Love so much they traded up and spent a first-round pick on him in 2020. He's only thrown a total of 83 passes in the three seasons since. Love is a physical specimen and has shown flashes of immense talent, but we have no idea what he'll become. For his career, Love has completed 50 of 83 passes for 606 yards, with three touchdowns and three interceptions. But in 2022, he completed 14 of 21 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown. So in extremely limited action it appears he's improved.
If Rodgers winds up getting traded, handing the reins to Love is the logical next step. He's the in-house option and the Packers need to figure out if he's a legit NFL starting quarterback after burning a first-rounder on him. There's no way to do that without letting Love actually start for a chunk of a season.
Derek Carr
Carr is currently a free agent and meeting with teams. If Rodgers gets traded, he'd be a veteran option if the team doesn't believe Love is ready to take on the job. Carr is a four-time Pro Bowler who has been successful in nine seasons with the Raiders. He didn't have his best season in 2022, completing a career-low 60.8 percent of his passes for 3,522 yards, with 24 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. His passer rating of 86.3 was the second-worst of his career.
Despite that, Carr is an established NFL starter with a solid track record. With a good running back -- like Aaron Jones -- backing him up, the 31-year-old could be a solid option. Carr would also come cheaper than Rodgers, giving the Packers a chance to improve the rest of the roster. He'd certainly be worth considering.