Packers: DeShone Kizer the backup quarterback after Hundley trade

With Brett Hundley traded to the Seattle Seahawks, DeShone Kizer will be the Green Bay Packers’ backup quarterback in 2018.

The decision on who will be Aaron Rodgers‘ backup quarterback will no longer be a harsh competition in the last preseason game.

Rob Demovsky of ESPN reported that Brett Hundley is officially traded to the Seattle Seahawks Wednesday morning for a sixth-round pick in the 2019 draft.

The trade should not come as a surprise among the Packers community. Green Bay drafted Hundley out of UCLA in 2015, but not with intent to take over the franchise. The Packers have historically been able to mold great quarterbacks under their supervision. Hundley’s value has always been for a trade someday, and a week before the regular season begins, that day has come.

Hundley had a taste of what being a starting quarterback entails last season after Aaron Rodgers was placed on injured reserve from a broken collarbone. Out of the 11 games Hundley started, he managed to complete 60 percent of his passes for 1,836 yards. He had nine passing touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and ran in two touchdowns himself.

Rodgers has gigantic shoes to fill when it comes to quarterback comparison. Hundley wasn’t expected to put up MVP or Hall of Fame statistics, but bad habits which were criticized in college seemed to carry over into the NFL. Habits such as hanging on to the ball too long, which led to being sacked 29 times last season.

DeShone Kizer is now the official new backup in Green Bay. This doesn’t come to much of a surprise as the Packers received Kizer back in March with a trade from the Cleveland Browns. Kizer couldn’t win himself a game with the Browns last year, but the potential to build a good QB still holds strong. Learning from a veteran such as Rodgers is a much better idea than being thrown to competitive lion’s den of the NFL his rookie year.

The last preseason game versus the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday will give Kizer and Tim Boyle plenty of opportunities to show what they’re made of.

Kizer and Boyle may only be backups to a franchise, but the experience and knowledge gained during their time behind Rodgers will only benefit their career in the long run.

Best wishes go out to Brett Hundley in Seattle. Learning from Russell Wilson and Pete Carroll can still give Hundley the potential to grow into a good quarterback in the NFL one day.