Green Bay Packers

Jordan Love may not have a clear path to the Green Bay Packers' starting quarterback job just yet, but general manager Brian Gutekunst at least believes the 24-year-old is good enough to start in the NFL.

Gutekunst told reporters Monday the team has enough confidence in Love to consider him worthy of No. 1 status.

However, there's still the small matter of Aaron Rodgers being under contract for 2023 and set to count for $31.6 million against the salary cap.

Gutekunst indicated he'd like to see the four-time MVP come back:

"Well, certainly that's an offseason-type kind of decision, but surely, yeah. I mean we want all our guys back. We made a big commitment to him this offseason, so that was obviously something that was really important to us. But like we've talked about in the past, this is something we'll sit down with him after the season and it will be something we do together and move forward that way."

Love didn't look great in his only career start to date. He finished 19-of-34 for 190 yards, one touchdown and one interception as the Packers lost 13-7 to the Kansas City Chiefs last season.

The 2020 first-round pick has performed better when filling in for Rodgers this year, particularly in a 40-33 Week 12 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. He was 6-of-9 for 113 yards and one touchdown.

Green Bay is 5-8 so far, and its postseason hopes dwindle by the week. One silver lining is that the team might be able to give Love an extended look over the final few weeks because there's little else to play for.

Should that happen and he finishes the campaign strong, the Packers could choose one of two paths. They could pencil Love in as their 2023 starter if Rodgers is willing to be traded or retires altogether. They could also trade him, presumably getting a healthy return while failing to recoup a first-round pick.

Granted, that doesn't mean things won't get messy since the Packers are well aware of how difficult it can be to pass the torch from a franchise legend to the starter-in-waiting.

Amid a disappointing 2022 season for the Green Bay Packers, many are wondering about Aaron Rodgers' future with the team. On Monday, head coach Matt LaFleur made his stance on the situation clear.

When asked if he wants Rodgers to be Green Bay's starting quarterback in 2023, LaFleur told reporters, "Yeah, absolutely. Of course."

Rodgers had said after Sunday's 28-19 road win over the Chicago Bears that his return to the Packers in 2023 would depend on whether there was mutual interest on both sides. The back-to-back reigning NFL MVP turned 39 on Friday and is likely at the tail end of his legendary career.

In March, Green Bay signed Rodgers to a three-year contract extension worth $150.8 million, which keeps him tied to the team through the 2024 season. The 10-time Pro Bowler has thrown for 2,864 yards, 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions through 13 games this year. He threw nine picks combined in the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Sunday's victory improved Green Bay to 5-8, but the team sits in third place in the NFC North. While the Packers are not yet eliminated from playoff contention, their chances are slim, and it would take some help to reach the postseason.

Many have wondered if Green Bay should give third-year quarterback Jordan Love an opportunity to start some games down the stretch. The 24-year-old has had limited playing time while backing up Rodgers, but he impressed in a Week 12 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles when he replaced Rodgers in the second half and went 6-of-9 passing for 113 yards and a touchdown.

The Packers are on a bye in Week 14, but it sounds like Rodgers will continue to be under center when the team returns to action against the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 19 and beyond.

An NFL executive believes the Green Bay Packers may not have been aware of wide receiver Davante Adams' true impact before trading him to the Las Vegas Raiders during the offseason.

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, an anonymous NFL personnel executive said the Packers "perhaps didn't realize what their identity was," which was for quarterback Aaron Rodgers to throw the ball up to Adams when a play was needed on offense.

The exec noted that the decision to trade Adams "did not work," and that Green Bay should have kept its No. 1 wideout for Rodgers' "peace of mind."

Rodgers and the Green Bay offense have been shells of their former selves this season, which is why the Packers have been arguably the most disappointing team in the NFL with a 4-8 record.

While Rodgers was NFL MVP in both 2020 and 2021, the 18-year veteran has largely looked average this season, completing 64.8 percent of his passes for 2,682 yards, 21 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Much of that seemingly has to do with a lack of established weapons. Without Adams in the fold, Rodgers has had to lean on Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, Sammy Watkins and rookies Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs at receiver, although most of them have missed significant time due to injury.

That, in turn, has caused Rodgers to hold the ball longer than usual, and it has resulted in him getting sacked 24 times in 12 games.

Adams isn't enjoying much team success either this season, playing for the 4-7 Raiders, but he has continued to be a stud individually with Derek Carr throwing him the ball.

Through 11 games, Adams has made 71 grabs for 999 yards and 10 touchdowns, putting him in the mix to possibly be a first-team All-Pro for the third year in a row.

Adams has finished with double-digit touchdowns three years in a row and six of the past seven seasons, plus he had well over 100 catches in both 2020 and 2021, and a career-high 1,553 yards last season.

It is now blatantly obvious that Adams was the one who made the Green Bay offense go, and it is no coincidence that the Packers now look like a cellar-dwelling team after three straight 13-win seasons from 2019 to 2021.

Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers wants to finish the season, but he told reporters Wednesday he would understand if the team wants to give Jordan Love more playing time.

"Hopefully we don't have to have that conversation, but if that conversation comes up, I'll approach it with an open mind without any bitterness or resentment," Rodgers said.

The Packers fell to 4-8 with Sunday's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and are three games behind the Washington Commanders for the final playoff spot. Rodgers is also dealing with rib and thumb injuries that prevented him from practicing on Wednesday, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Even with the injuries, Rodgers told The Pat McAfee Show that he plans to play this week against the Chicago Bears:

On the other hand, the injury and the poor record could be an opportunity for the Packers to see more from Love, the 2020 first-round pick who has made just one start in three seasons.

Love has played in three games this season and impressed late in Sunday's loss to the Eagles, totaling 113 yards and a touchdown on 6-of-9 passing.

The 24-year-old has one more year remaining of his rookie contract, but the Packers will need to make a decision in the offseason whether to pick up his fifth-year option. Otherwise, he can leave in free agency after the 2023 season.

Rodgers signed a three-year, $150.8 million extension last year after winning his second straight MVP award, although he has struggled more this season. The 38-year-old has just 21 passing touchdowns with nine interceptions after throwing 37 touchdown passes with just four picks a year ago. His 92.9 passer rating is the second-worst of his 15 years as a starter.

If the veteran can't turn things around against the Bears, the Week 14 bye could offer an opportunity for the Packers to make a switch at quarterback.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers says he expects to play Sunday against the Chicago Bears after receiving "good news" on his injured ribs.

“I got good news with the scans yesterday, so I plan on playing this week," Rodgers said Tuesday on The Pat McAfee Show.

Rodgers has been dealing with injuries for much of the 2022 season. He came into the weekend with an avulsion fracture to his right thumb and left Sunday's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles with a rib injury.

"It was in the first half and then got kind of reaggravated in the third quarter, just having a hard time breathing and rotating my upper body, I was worried about a punctured lung as well. So I wanted to get that checked out. I'll get a scan tomorrow," Rodgers told reporters after the game.

The reigning back-to-back MVP indicated Sunday he wanted to play through his injuries even though the Packers are 4-8 and on the verge of elimination from playoff contention.

"We have a five-game stretch, we need to win all five and probably need a little help," he said. "As long as we're mathematically alive, I'd like to be out there."

Rodgers has been a diminished version of himself during the 2022 season, throwing for 2,682 yards and 21 touchdowns against nine interceptions. The nine picks tie his combined total from the past two seasons and are his highest single-season mark since 2010.

While some of the issues can be attributed to injury, Rodgers clearly misses wide receiver Davante Adams, who Green Bay traded to Las Vegas in the offseason. The Packers have not found a reliable top wideout to replace Adams, and Rodgers has expressed frustration with the slow growth of the wide receiver room.

Green Bay Packers star quarterback Aaron Rodgers was forced to exit Sunday night's game against the Philadelphia Eagles early after sustaining an injury to his ribs, but head coach Matt LaFleur offered an optimistic prognosis on Monday.

LaFleur told reporters that Rodgers is "feeling better," but he added that they will continue to learn more over the next few days. LaFleur declared that if Rodgers is healthy, he will play Sunday against the Chicago Bears.

Rodgers entered the locker room in the third quarter against the Eagles as the Packers went on to suffer a 40-33 loss and fall to 4-8 this season. According to ESPN's Rob Demovsky, there was "an initial fear" that Rodgers had suffered a punctured lung. He underwent X-rays at the stadium that showed he didn't have a punctured lung, but it was "hard to tell" if he had any fractured ribs.

After the game, Rodgers dismissed the notion of shutting it down for the remainder of the season. Green Bay has a slim chance of making the playoffs, but the two-time reigning MVP said he intends to play as long as the team is mathematically alive.

"We've got to win all five and probably need a little bit of help," said Rodgers, who also revealed last week that he's been playing with a broken bone in his thumb since Week 5.

Rodgers was replaced by Jordan Love against Philadelphia, and the third-year quarterback opened some eyes with a solid performance. Love finished with 113 yards and a touchdown on six-of-nine passing and helped Green Bay turn what could have been a blowout into a close game down the stretch.

Some are wondering if the Packers will give the 24-year-old more playing time if they are eliminated from playoff contention later this season. For now, it sounds like Rodgers intends to be under center as long as his body allows him.

Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers told reporters he's expecting to play in next weekend's game after exiting Sunday's 40-33 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles with a rib injury.

Rodgers left the game in the third quarter. NFL Network's James Palmer reported Rodgers underwent X-rays at Lincoln Financial Field, and the Green Bay star did not return to the game.

Jordan Love replaced Rodgers, going 6-of-9 for 113 yards and one touchdown in the fourth quarter.

This is just the latest injury setback for Rodgers. He confirmed earlier this month he was playing through a broken right thumb, which occurred in Green Bay's 27-22 loss to the New York Giants in Week 5.

The four-time MVP downplayed how much the thumb injury was affecting him on the field. Meanwhile, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters he hadn't given any thought to resting Rodgers to allow his thumb to heal a bit.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on Nov. 27 that the injury "is more severe than known" and "serious enough that surgery is almost always the answer."

This has been a season to forget for the Packers and Rodgers so far.

At 4-7, the team is on pace to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2018, and its starting signal-caller is having one of the worst years of his career. Through 11 games, Rodgers has thrown for 2,542 yards, 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He had 140 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions prior to exiting against Philadelphia.

As much as the 38-year-old has struggled, the alternative might not be any better.

In his only NFL start, Love went 19-of-34 for 190 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The offense mustered only seven points in a 2021 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Granted, given how things have gone for the Packers this season, it might not matter whether Rodgers or Love is lining up under center. A losing record looks more and more likely by the week.

Green Bay fell to 4-8 with Sunday's loss to Philadelphia.

Aaron Rodgers was willing to shoulder some of the blame for the Green Bay Packers' 27-17 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Rodgers explained he wasn't able to get the same grip on the football as he normally does.

"I've got to throw the ball better than I did tonight," he said.

One of the notable throws Rodgers missed came early in the fourth quarter with the Packers down by 10. He had Sammy Watkins wide open down the middle of the field on 3rd-and-12, but his throw sailed high and forced the Packers to punt.

After the defense forced a three-and-out, the Packers offense again had a chance to cut into the deficit. Rodgers sailed a pass over Allen Lazard's head on 3rd-and-3. He tried to hit Lazard on a deep shot on fourth down, but it was incomplete for a turnover on downs with 5:21 left to play.

Rodgers finished the game 24-of-39 for 227 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He was only sacked once, but it was a 12-yard loss on 2nd-and-7 on their final possession with just over three minutes remaining.

There was hope that the Packers were building positive momentum after their comeback overtime victory against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 10.

Green Bay's running game did most of the work for the offense in that game with 207 yards on 39 carries.

Rodgers was efficient in the win over Dallas, going 14-of-20 for 224 yards and three touchdowns. His 20 pass attempts were his fewest in a game that he finished since Week 4 of the 2010 season.

Thursday's game looked like a lot of this season has for the Packers. They had just 271 yards of total offense and 15 first downs. After Christian Watson's touchdown and a two-point conversion cut the deficit to 20-17 late in the third quarter, their final four drives ended in two punts and two turnovers on downs.

The loss dropped the Packers' record to 4-7, six games behind the Minnesota Vikings in the loss column in the NFC North. They are three games back of the San Francisco 49ers in the loss column for the final wild-card spot in the NFC.