Packers experiencing similar quarterback questions as Bears, Justin Fields originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Packers have reached new, unfamiliar territory for the first time in 20+ years.
Questioning the ability of their quarterback, Jordan Love.
That territory’s always been familiar for the Chicago Bears. How does it feel to walk a mile in the Bears’ shoes, Packers? Are you OK with the idea of waiting until next season to figure out if he’s your guy?
“I hope not,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said Wednesday. “I think we’ve got 10 games left. These are going to be very important 10 games.”
Just like the Bears with Justin Fields, the Packers are still figuring out whether or not Love is their guy. And similar to the Bears, they have through next season to figure it out.
Next season marks the final year of Fields’ rookie deal. It also marks the end of Love’s contract with the Packers, which the team extended by one year in May 2023. They gave Love a pay raise for the 2023 season to spread through their 2024 cap and soften the blow from Aaron Rodgers’ dead cap mess.
Another ironic similarity between the Bears and Packers’ quarterback situations is their rosters. Just like Fields in 2021, the Packers aren’t confident evaluating Love while the talent around him remains suboptimal.
Been there, done that, Bears fans.
“When the group as a whole is not functioning the way it should function, then it’s hard to evaluate anybody,” Gutekunst said. “At the same time, it’s on us to get that right so we can move forward and evaluate the guys we have in that room. But yeah, when we’re not clicking, it’s tough to evaluate anything.”
That school of thinking is a shared belief between the Packers’ GM and their head coach.
“I think in order to do that, I think everybody’s got to play better around him, quite frankly,” LaFleur said Monday. “Are there some things he can do better? Absolutely. I think he’d be the first to tell you. Are there some things we can do as a staff to help our guys? Absolutely. And then, when there are plays there to be made, we’ve got to make the plays.”
Let’s reminisce about 2021 from the Bears’ perspective.
The roster was horrid. Cole Kmet and Darnell Mooney headlined an abysmal receiving core. The trenches were littered with gap-filling veterans, young guys and inexperienced players. You could say that about the whole roster, really.
The only difference is the Bears implemented a new system behind the minds of Matt Eberflus and Luke Getsy. The Packers have had Matt LaFleur running the show since 2019.
But the Bears’ league-worst, 3-14 season last year provided glimmering hope. All that was left for the Bears to do was build around Fields, who rushed for over 1,000 yards and appeared to be the Bears’ franchise signal caller.
Ryan Poles took that notion and ran with it last offseason. He brought in DJ Moore, upgraded the offensive line with Darnell Wright and Nate Davis, and upgraded the defense with Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, Tyrique Stevenson and Yannick Ngakoue.
Alas, it didn’t take. The questions around Fields remain.
In this way, the Packers still have faith in Love. Their receiving core — outside of Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs — is, quite literally, entirely rookie players. They traded Rasul Douglas on Tuesday to earn back a third-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft, giving them five picks in the first three rounds.
The Packers’ roster needs work before they can evaluate Love. Lucky for Green Bay, Love has shown flashes of becoming a stud under center. Remember Week 1? Love eviscerated the Bears, throwing for 245 yards and three touchdowns.
Over the first three weeks, Love had seven touchdowns and one interception to his name. Since then, the Packers have lost four straight. Love has four touchdowns and seven interceptions during that span.
It’s not an easy pill to swallow when a team finally reaches its wits end with a quarterback. The Bears have done it time and time again; they may have to do it again soon with Fields.
There’s still hope for the Bears’ NFC North adversary, though. Love’s true test will come next season with an inevitably improved roster. Can Love live up to the challenge when it really matters? No one expected the Packers to improve after losing Aaron Rodgers — one of the best quarterbacks in history. But next season leaves less room for excuses.
Hopefully, that provides some comfort for Bears fans, relishing in the Packers’ struggles. Unfortunately, that should tell you how the Bears’ season has gone this year. But you have to take your wins where you can find them.
Now, as for the Detroit Lions …
