Packers: 3 reasons why signing Blake Bortles makes sense

The Green Bay Packers have signed veteran quarterback Blake Bortles to a one-year deal, first reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

This signing likely has little to do with Aaron Rodgers’ silence surrounding the drama that’s swirling involving him and the organization.

Here are a few reasons why this signing was the right move and will be beneficial for the team going forward.

Reason #1: Packers always have multiple QBs on roster

Green Bay primarily rolls with three quarterbacks during the season, so adding a veteran with experience to back up Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love isn’t a bad move in the slightest.

Rodgers’ first time as a starter saw his backups being Matt Flynn as well as Brian Brohm. Adding a third QB — let alone one with veteran experience like Bortles, was a good move to make.

Reason #2: Packers still not fully sold on Jordan Love as QB2

The Packers, despite drafting what many consider to be Aaron Rodgers’ successor in last year’s draft, still aren’t fully sold on him being a worthy enough backup quite yet. GM Brian Gutekunst came out publicly after the 2021 draft regarding Love’s progression, stating that the second-year quarterback has “a long way to go” in his development, per The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman.

Even with the Rodgers situation dominating the sports media landscape lately, Green Bay still hasn’t fully de-committed from Rodgers as the starter, and rightfully so.

He still has three years remaining on his current deal and even if he weren’t going to play for them going forward, it’s a lose-lose situation for both sides as Rodgers would owe upwards of $23 million to the organization and Green Bay would most likely find themselves on the losing end of most games in 2021 and beyond if they went solely with Love as the full-time starter.

Reason #3: Bortles can now develop himself behind Rodgers

Blake Bortles, although not the flashiest of quarterbacks, certainly isn’t the worst of them either. In five seasons with Jacksonville, he tallied 17,646 yards, 103 touchdowns, and 75 interceptions, all while completing nearly 60 percent of his passes (59.3 percent). Having a quarterback like Rodgers to develop behind and learn from will most likely benefit Bortles in the long run.

This signing was the right move for the Packers to make, especially with them feeling uneasy about Love’s status as the definitive QB2. Everyone needs to calm down about Bortles getting signed; it won’t affect Rodgers’ situation. This was simply an expected move made with Aaron Rodgers as the likely starter in mind come Week 1.