The Facts: One of the most-discussed moves of this year’s draft was the Packers’ decision to trade up in the first round in order to take quarterback Jordan Love with the 26th overall pick when they still have Rodgers on hand. In an interview over the weekend, GM Brian Gutekunst told Peter King that he didn’t go into the draft expecting to take Love but that he was so high on their board that they started thinking about it around the 20th pick of the first round. He told King they heard a team picking high in the second round was trying to move up for Love, so they gave up a fourth-round pick to the Dolphins and moved up four spots to get Love. Given that investment, it’s fair to wonder if the Packers are now thinking about when Rodgers will be done. The 37-year-old plans to play into his 40s, which would cover Love’s rookie contract, but Gutekunst said it would “be great for the Packers” if Rodgers plays well enough to keep the newcomer on the sideline.
Diehards Line:
“I’m very hopeful Aaron continues to play at a high level for years to come,” Gutekunst said. “I know a lot of people are saying this puts a clock on Aaron, but I don’t see that at all. We prioritize the quarterback position, and have for a long time with this franchise. I remember one year in camp they had Brett Favre, Ty Detmer, Kurt Warner and maybe Mark Brunell. It’s one of the most important positions in sports, and if you don’t have one, you can’t win.” As Profootballtalk.com suggested, some would argue that Rodgers’ chances of continuing to play at a high level would have been helped by different decisions in the early rounds of this year’s draft, but it would have made for a lot less intrigue heading into the near future.