THAT’S HOW IT’S DONE
Wentz and Eagles could learn lesson from the way Rodgers, Pack deal with QB situation
The Packers and Eagles both used high draft picks on quarterbacks behind established starters on their roster last April.
The Packers took Utah State’s Jordan Love at No. 26 overall instead of adding another receiver for two-time MVP QB Aaron Rodgers.
The Eagles selected Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts at No. 53 overall instead of reinforcing their depleted defense to complement franchise QB Carson Wentz.
Rodgers, Wentz and both fan bases had reason to doubt if their franchises remained confident in their incumbents. What mattered most, though, was how Rodgers and Wentz would react.
And what a study in contrast this has become following the Packers’ 32-18 victory over the Rams on Saturday afternoon.
Wentz, 28, endured an unprecedented regression in 2020, led the league with 19 turnovers, and was benched for Hurts for good in Week 13 — in a Dec. 6 loss at Green Bay, no less.
The Eagles finished 4-11-1, in last place in the NFC East, and fired head coach Doug Pederson last Monday.
Rodgers, 37, on the other hand, made sure that Love never saw the field or took a single snap.
The Packers scored a league-high 509 regular-season points. Rodgers is on his way to a likely third MVP award after throwing a league-high 48 touchdown passes.
And on Saturday, the chemistry of Packers coach Matt LaFleur’s offense married to Rodgers’ execution was everything that Pederson could not establish with Wentz as the wheels fell off this fall in Philly.
In fairness to Wentz, Packers GM Brian Gutekunst’s roster was much stronger than Eagles GM Howie Roseman’s, especially on the offensive line and the defense.
But eliminating outside variables, Rodgers and Wentz are both human, and it was natural that neither was exactly cheering the Love and Hurts draft picks.
They’re human, so it would be normal that their team’s use of a premier pick on a quarterback might shake their confidence, if only for a few months in the offseason.
Ultimately, though, Rodgers and Wentz both are under contract through 2023 and 2024, respectively, because their
organizations believed at one time not long ago that they could handle not only the pressure of the job but, if necessary, healthy internal competition.
Perhaps it speaks to an Eagles misevaluation of Wentz that they believed the Hurts pick wouldn’t get to a stillyoung quarterback who already had a history of sensitivity to being replaced by locker room favorite Nick Foles for the team’s 2017 Super Bowl run.
Regardless, Rodgers’ production in response to Love’s pick and presence has been nothing short of remarkable.
Maybe he is motivated by his own long wait to replace Brett Favre. Rodgers, a late first-round pick in 2005, sat for three seasons behind Favre in Green Bay before finally taking over.
Would it surprise anyone if Rodgers had it in his mind that he would make Love wait even longer, gunning for his second Super Bowl along the way?
So next Sunday Rodgers will host the NFC Championship Game at Lambeau for the first time in his NFL career. And in a league that is supposed to be the young guys with fresh legs, Rodgers awaits a matchup with Tom Brady and the Bucs.
He’ll hope to finish what he and the Packers (14-3) have started this season, and then who knows? Maybe he’ll benefit Green Bay in the long-term with his play now, too.
Maybe Rodgers’ sustained excellence late in his career will buy the Packers time to develop their next longtime franchise QB in the process.
He knows from experience that waiting isn’t always a bad thing.