The New Era
Nearing the end of the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers shocked the football world. Now, three years later, the pieces are finally falling together. As of April 24th, Jordan Love is now the starting QB of the Packers, following in the footsteps of some all-time greats. The 24-year-old is looking to start his first entire season in 2023, and his teammates seem to be ready as well. Love showed up to the first week of the offseason training camp, something four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers has not done in years. Now, seeing his resume, Rodgers had good reasoning for not showing up, but having your starting QB there is a refreshing change.
The Trade
A trade sending Aaron Rodgers to the same place as his predecessor Brett Favre, the New York Jets, was done the week of the draft. The teams switched first-round picks this year and swapped a couple of others as well. This involved a conditional 2024 2nd-round pick that could be a 1st if Rodgers plays 65% of snaps. Realistically, this will be a first, unless everything goes wrong for the Jets. If he for some reason does not play enough snaps, that will make this a big loss for the Jets. For the Packers, they will jump the Patriots in the first round of this year’s draft. Both these teams have very similar needs, allowing the Packers to take whoever they want before the Pats get a chance.
The Draft
The Packers now have a fairly young team, especially on offense. Now they have a chance to make it younger by adding receiving threats for Jordan Love. Will this be the start of a new era when it comes to drafting? We will see on Thursday. The Packers could be in a position to draft names such as Jaxson Smith-Njigba, Dalton Kincaid, or Michael Mayer. General Manager Brian Gutekunst made the Rodgers trade happen but now needs to hit on the draft picks.
