Packers Rumors: Bakhtiari cut questions, Jordan Love’s backup, Kiper mock draft

Packers Rumors: Sean Clifford has Green Bay's confidence as backup QB

The Packers officially nailed their Aaron Rodgers succession plan. It took a few weeks for Jordan Love to find his footing, but the 25-year-old's first season as a full-time starter couldn't have gone much better. Love completed 64.2 percent of his passes for 4,159 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions, eventually leading Green Bay to a postseason victory over the No. 2 seed Dallas Cowboys.

Love was pretty close to getting past the Niners in the second round, too. He's the real deal. The arm talent is off the charts and his discipline improved week-to-week, often in real-time. It's hard not to get excited about his future.

That said, there is concern — or at least mild uneasiness — about the backup QB spot. The Packers selected Sean Clifford in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, despite a stern warning from FanSided's own John Buhler. Clifford impressed in training camp and preseason action, but he was virtually nonexistent in the regular season. That was a good thing, of course, because it meant Love was healthy. Still, Green Bay fans don't really have a sense of whether or not Clifford can actually hold down the fort if Love does end up missing time.

Packers GM Brian Gutekunst expressed confidence in Clifford to The Athletic, saying Clifford has "absolutely proven he can be a No. 2" in the NFL. He praised the rookie's poise and cited his extensive collegiate experience at Penn State. Still, Gutekunst conveniently left the door open for Green Bay to draft Clifford's replacement.

"I’d love to continue to bring in quarterbacks, not only for the competition but for the development of them. Because I do think it takes time. It takes time, any player, but a quarterback, particularly, in a comfort zone of what he’s doing where you can really see his talent come out. I think Sean hit that pretty early compared to most, but I think that’s important you give that player the time to get there."

It's a pretty unique stance for a GM to say "We want to develop quarterbacks," especially with a young franchise QB in place. In theory, the Packers have another decade of Love topping the charts and leading postseason runs. So, the only reasonable reading of Gutekunst's comments is that Clifford's job is far from safe. He will have competition.