Back in 2023, the Green Bay Packers made a decision that altered the course of the franchise. Instead of running it back (again) with four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers and their aging roster, the team decided to trade him to the New York Jets and hand the keys of the offense over to Jordan Love.
This decision proved to be the right one as the Packers have made the NFL Playoffs in each of Love’s first two seasons as their starting quarterback while Rodgers is now entering the final year of his career having signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Of course, the decision to move on from Rodgers to Love was controversial at the time. Many fans did not like the fact that Green Bay had selected Love in the first place during the 2020 NFL Draft, and were even less pleased that the Packers were moving on from their four-time NFL MVP.
And the fact that the team selected another quarterback in the 2023 NFL Draft made the situation even worse for them.
Many Green Bay Packers Fans Wanted Sean Clifford to Start Over Jordan Love
In 2023, the same year the Packers named Love their starter, they drafted Sean Clifford in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. A Penn State product, Clifford was best-known for beating out Wil Levis for the Nitney Lions’ starting quarterback job and leading them to the Rose Bowl.
And when Love struggled at times during his first season as the starter, many fans called for Clifford to be given the job instead.
It’s a good thing fans are not the coaches.
Love went on to finish second in the NFL in passing touchdowns in 2023 and earned himself a $220 million contract extension. Clifford, meanwhile, performed so poorly in the 2024 NFL preseason and in training camp that Green Bay released him.
He was re-signed to the practice squad, but the Packers did not want him filling in for Love in the event of an injury. Instead, they traded for Malik Willis, who ended up leading Green Bay to victory in each of the starts he made while Love was out with a sprained MCL.
Sean Clifford Is Poised to Lose His Job with the Green Bay Packers
Willis is entering the final year of his rookie contract and will serve as Love’s backup quarterback again this season. When he hits free agency, though, he may get an offer to be a starter elsewhere given how well he played when Love was injured.
One move the Packers made this offseason was to bring in Tyler Elgersma, who won the Canadian version of the Heisman Trophy. They signed him to a contract and placed him on the 90-man roster.
Going into training camp, Elgersma will battle with Clifford to be Green Bay’s third quarterback (their practice squad quarterback). Given how bad Clifford looked last year, many believe that Elgersma will be able to earn the job.
What is more, there are rumblings that the Packers are so high on Elgersma that they plan on making him Love’s primary backup when Willis inevitably leaves in free agency.
Clifford, meanwhile, is likely to be released.
