Vikings Rival Drafted QB Older than Its QB1
Dustin Baker
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The Jordan Love era will begin in Green Bay this September with an old-man-by-rookie-standards looking over the QB1’s shoulder.
Love’s reign in Wisconsin was finally formalized just before the 2023 NFL Draft when his predecessor, Aaron Rodgers, was traded to the New York Jets. Unless it’s in the Super Bowl, the Minnesota Vikings likely never have to see Rodgers on the field again.
Vikings Rival Drafted QB Older than Its QB1
Meanwhile, to hedge the bet on Love, the Packers drafted a quarterback last weekend older than him — Penn State’s Sean Clifford.
SI.com’s Albert Breer tweeted after the Packers pick, “Interesting note with some reasoning behind it: New Packers QB Sean Clifford is actually four months OLDER than Green Bay starter Jordan Love. Lots of older guys in this year’s draft, mostly because of the COVID eligibility rules.”
Breer added, “Remember, Green Bay drafted two QBs the year Brett Favre was traded, taking both Brian Brohm and Matt Flynn. Maybe Clifford can make like Flynn?”
The Packers also have veteran quarterback Danny Etling on the depth chart as QB2, so it is unclear in May who will win the final backup job. But in age order, it goes Etling, Clifford, then Love.
Moreover, regarding Love and his fifth-year rookie contract option, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said last weekend, “Yeah, I’ve got to figure that out by Tuesday, I guess, yeah. We’re kind of still working through that. We’ve been so focused on the draft. We’ve had some preliminary conversations, but we’ll get to that before Tuesday. It’s a lot of money for a guy who hasn’t played. But at the same time, obviously, we’re moving forward with him. So, we’ll figure that out by Tuesday.”
“Old” rookie quarterbacks were a thing this year in the draft, a byproduct of the “COVID year” affecting players in 2020. Men simply needed more playing time and leeway to develop, and this year’s class was a glaring reflection. Hendon Hooker (25), Will Levis (24), Jake Haener (24), and Clayton Tune (24) found NFL rookie homes, all older than the prototypical age-21 or age-22 passer coming out of college.
The Vikings, too, drafted an old quarterback in Jaren Hall. The BYU alumnus is 25.
On Clifford, he was swept up in this draft’s Brock Purdy phenomenon. General managers across the country drafted passers who wouldn’t have been chosen at all if not for Purdy’s take-off in San Francisco. Clifford is a glowing example, along with Aidan O’Connell (Raiders) and arguably Stetson Bennett (Rams) and Max Duggan (Chargers).
The Packers have been blessed with 31 consecutive seasons of Hall of Fame quarterback play. We shall see if Love or Clifford continues the streak.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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