5 genius Brian Gutekunst moves that have made Packers contenders with Jordan Love

Trading Aaron Rodgers

An argument can be made that the Packers should've drafted Aaron Rodgers a year earlier. They potentially could've landed more draft capital had they made a deal with the Denver Broncos in 2022, and doing so would've prevented them from handing Rodgers a multi-year extension that is still impacting the salary cap.

However, the counterargument is that Jordan Love probably wasn't ready at the beginning of the 2022 season. He needed another year of development before starting his journey as the QB1.

And when Gutekunst eventually did trade Rodgers, he got a great deal from the Jets. Moving up two spots in the first round helped them land Lukas Van Ness. The second-rounder was used to draft Luke Musgrave. And Green Bay receives another top-50 pick in 2024 from the deal.

Trading Rodgers in 2023 had a significant knock-on effect. It also led to the departures of veterans like Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb. Keeping Rodgers likely meant keeping his favorite pass-catchers. Instead, Gutekunst hit the reset button on offense, and we're seeing the results now.

Drafting Love was a bold move in 2020. We knew it would end Rodgers's time in Green Bay within a few years. Gutekunst waited long enough for Love to develop and still landed an excellent deal for Rodgers, setting the team up for future success.

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