The Green Bay Packers are in a much different position regarding their quarterbacks than they were at this time of the preseason last year. As many may recall, the 2023 preseason was filled with speculation and doubt regarding Jordan Love, who was taking over as the Packers’ starting quarterback. After 18 years and four NFL MVP Awards, Aaron Rodgers was traded to the New York Jets so that the 2020 first-round pick could lead Green Bay into the future.
Of course, the Packers could not go into the 2023 season without a backup quarterback for Love, so they signed USFL star Alex McGough and drafted Penn State’s Sean Clifford to compete for the role. Clifford beat out McGough and served as Love’s backup for the year.
The Green Bay Packers Drafted Quarterback Michael Pratt in the Seventh-Round of the 2024 NFL Draft
Earlier this offseason, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst told the media that he wanted the organization to get back to its days of drafting and developing quarterbacks as backups to their franchise star. With this goal in mind, Green Bay selected Tulane’s Michael Pratt in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
The idea, at the time, was that Clifford and Pratt would compete for the backup quarterback spot behind Love. Unfortunately, soon after training camp began, it was clear that both had a great deal of room for improvement.
While Love showed up for training camp, he initially did not participate in practices because his new contract extension was not done. In the meantime, Clifford and Pratt led the offense in drills. Numerous turnovers and bad throws plagued the offense’s performances during this short stretch.
It did not improve in preseason games, with both quarterbacks failing to adequately lead the offense against the backup defenses of their opponents.
In their first game against the Cleveland Browns, Clifford was 10/19 for 111 yards and a passer rating of 70.3. Pratt was 5/7 for 46 yards and a passer rating of 89.0.
In Green Bay’s 27-2 loss to Denver, both quarterbacks were especially disappointing. Clifford was 6/10 for 43 yards, an interception, and a passer rating of 30.4. Pratt was not much better, completing 10 of 16 passes for 52 yards and a passer rating of 67.7.
The final preseason game, this against the Baltimore Ravens, saw both quarterbacks struggle once again. Clifford 6/14 for 53 yards and a passer rating of 77.4 while Pratt was 8/12 for 80 yards, a touchdown, an interception, and a passer rating of 78.5.
The Green Bay Packers Traded for Malik Willis and Released Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt
On Monday night, news broke that the Packers had traded a 2025 seventh-round pick to the Tennessee Titans for quarterback Malik Willis. On Tuesday, it was reported by multiple NFL insiders that Green Bay had released both Clifford and Pratt:
BREAKING: The #Packers have released QB Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt.
Making Jordan Love and Malik Willis the only QBs on their roster. #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/w2CgrQE0rc
— ESPN Madison (@ESPNMadison) August 27, 2024
It has yet to be determined if either Clifford or Pratt will be re-signed to the team’s practice squad, though based on their preseason performances, Pratt may be the better option.
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