Brian Gutekunst has become a polarizing figure since being named the Green Bay Packers' general manager in January 2018, to say the least. Yet, he's done one thing better than almost anyone else to help him stick: identify elite quarterbacks, like Jordan Love.
There's no denying that Gutekunst has had his fair share of whiffs in free agency and the draft over the years. However, one right call can change everything — and boy, did he hit on Love. Just ask retired Packers fullback John Kuhn.
Kuhn believes the Packers have a remarkable talent at not just the most important position in football, but "in all of professional sports." He discussed Love's excellence during a recent episode of The Tundra podcast.
John Kuhn couldn't contain his gratitude for Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love
As Packers fans remember all too well, Love was widely considered an outcast when he came to Titletown in 2020. After all, his arrival marked a well-chronicled fork-in-the-road moment between the club and arguably its greatest player in franchise history, Aaron Rodgers. Nevertheless, with the benefit of hindsight, Kuhn is grateful for Green Bay's bold decision.
"The Green Bay Packers have successfully got their guy the third time in a row [in Love]," Kuhn said. "As you watch around the league and see teams struggle to get that starting quarterback, that franchise quarterback, for the foreseeable future, which at the NFL now, that's looking at 10-15 years of having a quarterback on your team."
It truly cannot be overstated how good the Green Bay faithful has had it for the past three-plus decades. As Kuhn highlights, the Packers have been fortunate enough to seamlessly transition from one star signal-caller to the next, with Love being the latest. Meanwhile, rival teams are changing passers like socks.
Pivoting from Rodgers to Love was once viewed as premature, though the Packers have since been justified. But you could see a world in which this move backfired spectacularly, and it's not pretty. Kuhn likens the hypothetical outcome to the Minnesota Vikings' current organizational turmoil.
The Vikings fired their general manager, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, because he "picked the wrong guy" under center, Kuhn states. Conversely, Green Bay made the right choice with Love, which has, in turn, earned Gutekunst a reasonable benefit of the doubt.