With Aaron Rodgers back, Packers release Blake Bortles

With Aaron Rodgers returning for training camp, the Green Bay Packers are set with their top two at quarterback.

The Packers have trimmed their QB room from five players to three. The team announced on Tuesday that they have released quarterbacks Blake Bortles and Jake Dolegala.

With the two moves, Green Bay now has three quarterbacks on the roster: Rodgers, Jordan Love, and Kurt Benkert, who has quickly become a fan favorite.

Signing Bortles in the offseason made sense as Rodgers’ future was uncertain. It gave the Packers a veteran QB on the practice field, and he could start games if Jordan Love wasn’t ready. And having previously worked with Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, the move was a smart one.

But with Rodgers now returning and set to start in 2021, the Packers have the option to stick with Rodgers and Love as the top two QBs. With Tim Boyle no longer on the roster, Love has the opportunity to be the backup behind Rodgers this year after being the third choice at QB last season.

It was a short stay for Bortles in Green Bay. He was signed for the team’s OTAs. He will now aim to secure a backup spot with another team in need of a QB having recently spent time with the Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos.

Releasing Bortles also gives him extra time to find a new team rather than making this move at the end of training camp.

The question now is whether the Packers will stick with just Rodgers and Love on their 53-man roster before the start of the regular season, or whether Benkert can do enough at training camp and in the preseason to show why he should also make the roster. If not, Benkert could be a practice-squad candidate.