Packers add QB depth, sign free-agent Blake Bortles
Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said the team would add a quarterback, and now they have.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Blake Bortles is in Green Bay and is signing with the Packers.
Does this say anything about the Aaron Rodgers situation?
Well, according to Benjamin Allbright of KOA Colorado, signing Bortles has “nothing to do with any impending Aaron Rodgers move”.
However, just because signing Bortles might not be a sign of a Rodgers trade on the horizon, Zach Kruse of Packers Wire makes a great point.
Obviously the Packers need QBs. They don’t need a veteran backup QB if 12 is happy. They do because he isn’t.
— Zach Kruse (@zachkruse2) May 12, 2021
If Rodgers wasn’t happy with his current situation, would the Packers sign Bortles? We’d expect them to add quarterbacks to the roster, but would they sign a veteran who would likely cost more than other passers they could add?
ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reported this week that the team will be giving tryouts to Chad Kelly and Kurt Benkert. With Rodgers and Jordan Love under contract, this is the type of move we’d typically expect them to make.
Instead of signing Bortles, why would they not bring back Tim Boyle when they had the chance? A quarterback who understands the system and looked comfortable in it during the limited opportunities we got to see him play in it.
That said, Bortles should have some familiarity. He has spent some time with Sean McVay with the Los Angeles Rams, and Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett was his OC in Jacksonville for three seasons.
Is this a sign the Packers don’t expect Rodgers to attend OTAs this month? It has to be a consideration. If Rodgers is unhappy, why would he attend the practices this month when he doesn’t need to? So for that reason, signing a veteran makes sense.
One thing we can all agree on is that we hope the Packers don’t go from Aaron Rodgers to Blake Bortles as the starting quarterback.