6 easy Jordan Love replacements for Packers after Brian Gutekunst's comments
By John Buhler
5. Trade for Kyler Murray and see if he can play like he did previously
It may not be the easiest of solutions, but it certainly is one. If the Packers really wanted to make a splash outside of the 2024 NFL Draft, or NFL free agency for that matter, they could try to trade for Arizona Cardinals starting quarterback Kyler Murray. He is mercurial, injury-prone and undersized, but he is certainly better than whatever the Packers have on the roster currently in the quarterback room.
Trading for Murray would require the right pairing at head coach and general manager to make this thing work. While I have my doubts that this is the best solution for the Packers, it is probably the best when it comes to dealing for an active player. They are honestly better served trying to draft and develop a guy because of the money and the baggage Murray clearly carries, but this is an option.
Keep in mind that the Packers traded for Favre with the Atlanta Falcons a very, very long time ago...
4. Draft Michael Penix Jr. out of Washington to add some excitement
Before we dive into quarterbacks the Packers could conceivably pick inside the top 10, I want to make one thing perfectly clear. Unless the Packers absolutely bottom out, they are not going to be in a position to draft Caleb Williams No. 1 overall out of USC. They could theoretically trade up to the top spot, but there are several other great players coming off the board early, including Michael Penix Jr.
The Washington Huskies quarterback is the slightest frontrunner to win the 2023 Heisman Trophy heading into the final five weeks or so of the season. He may be an older, slightly injury-prone southpaw, but he can really sling it. More importantly, he is a thermostat; he changes the temperature in the room. He won games at Indiana previously. Indiana?! Yes, this guy is the real deal and he could be it.
Penix may be closer to his ceiling than other draft prospects, but we know he can win in the midwest.
3. Draft Bo Nix out of Oregon to add a competitive, dual-threat player
I can't believe I have gotten to this point mentally, but yeah, if you are the Packers, you can consider drafting Bo Nix inside the top 10 and it probably wouldn't ruin you. He has progressed considerably as a passer and an overall playmaker during his two years at Oregon. I still remember what he was like during his first three years of college football at Auburn, but you have to allow players to improve.
Like Penix, Nix is a serious contender for the Heisman Trophy. If he comes away with it, he will be a top-10 pick, no doubt. That is right around where the Packers will be picking if this season goes to hell in a handbasket in the second half like it did in the first. Green Bay would need to have the right offensive mind leading them, but Nix has shown us all that he is a competitive and fiery playmaker.
If the Packers do not draft Nix, he will go to a team like the New England Patriots instead of them.