Anything is possible, say a catastophic Theismann-like or Bridgewater-like injury to Rodgers in 2020. Or Rodgers misses a few games and Love wins those games. These are not likely scenarios. The fact the Packers converted $11 mil of roster bonus to signing bonus, putting more dead cap into 2020+ just
this past December should tell you there is no plan to turn the page at this time. You have to be a Rodgers hater or click-baiter to not see this.
The likely scenario is Rodgers plays 16 games, or however many there actually are, Love remains an unknown quantity, and dumping Rodgers for a one year $5 mil in cap savings will not going to happen. Maybe Love gets a start in the last game after the #1 seed is locked up.
Love would have to do something exceptional in multiple starts to make the 2022+ Rodgers cap savings attractive.
This is better viewed on par with the Patriots draft of Garoppolo in 2014. Brady was the same age as Rodgers is now. The Patriots had not won a Super Bowl in nine years, making two losing appearances. Perhaps the Packers might have gotten there a couple more times in the Rodgers era playing in a chronically sh*tty division like the AFC East and landing a couple more #1 seeds after 2011. Of course Brady won that 2014 Super Bowl and the clock was re-set.
While there is a lot of LaFleur and Gutekunst mind-reading going on, with a perspective in some quarters that the Packers are of a mind to re-form this offense into some version of the 2018 Titans, you're as likely to get Love as Mariotta-redux as anything else. Be careful what you wish for.
Anyway, when rumors had it that Kraft and Belchick were in disagreement over trading Garoppolo, with Belichick reportedly wanting to keep him, they could not have payed both. Kraft won out as of course he would. In this case, you better check with Murphy. He's still the uber-GM with Gutekunst, LaFleur and Ball still reporting to him. He's also the guy who negotiated Rodgers last extension going into the 2018 season. That was when a Rodgers trade would have been interesting as I said at the time, given his cheap years remaining before the extension and the picks that might have been landed in trade.
Maybe Gutekunst and LaFleur were not happy about more backloading of Rodgers cap last Decenber. Or maybe not. Maybe this is more about having a back-up in training, a replacement for some future undeterminable date, a RB to replace the incumbents heading to free agency, and a desire to use more, or more effective, lead back run sets with that 3rd. round pick. Mind read that, and the draft value of those picks in that scenario.
There's at least a 4th. No problem with drafting a developmental/backup QB, Love's a decent prospect and fits the bill, but he's a poor draft value.
His fall-off in his performance from 2018 to 2019 could be accounted for in the turnover of starters in his 2019 offense, 9 players I think it was. He was playing under a new OC. I've seen it mentioned that a new Utah State OC in 2019 = new system, but that was not the case. Let's stick with the graduation rate.
https://usustatesman.com/utah-state-football-fall-camp-mike-sanford-jr-offensive-coordinator/
That was the Mountain West, however, with a 2018 schedule that looked like this:
https://utahstateaggies.com/sports/football/schedule/2018
Love has the physical tools, but there isn't much evidence that the more important mental aspect of the game is sufficient with this serious step-up in competition and speed of the game.
I would not have had a problem if they took him or in the 3rd. round, or Hurts at that spot, instead of a glorified fullback. These players were not be available at that spot, one would say? Well, tough. Go with Fromm in the 4th, not the physical specimen one would prefer but purportedly a guy with a high football IQ having played against top competition.
Having watched Josh Allen several times the last couple of years with Buffalo, my local market team, he's in need of a breakout in year 3. Take away the running ability and he's not the much of a QB despite that 70 yard arm, size and productive legs, evidence to date saying he's not the sharpest knife in the drawer as football IQ goes. There is a litany of first round "franchise of the future" QBs who fit this profile but did not work out. It is more likely Love will be next on that list as anything else.
I think the odds of Fromm gettig off the bench for a start in front of a heathly Allen in 2021 is greater than the Packers parting ways with Rodgers after 2020. This is by way of saying the echo chamber and click-bait purveyors don't find much drama in that story, without a peep in the local press about what's wrong with Josh Allen in a place where getting to the playoffs requires looking past what might be rotten in Denmark.
