GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers are not treating quarterback as a finished room. General manager Brian Gutekunst said Tuesday the team will keep looking at the position in the NFL Draft and would add another arm if the right chance comes along.
"I think we’re always looking to add to that room," Gutekunst said at his annual pre-draft news conference. "I think it’s the most important position of all professional sports, probably the hardest, so we evaluate that position every year, regardless, very thoroughly. And there’s some good players in this draft. If we have an opportunity to add to that room, we will."
The comments matter because Green Bay has an opening behind Jordan Love after Malik Willis left for the Miami Dolphins on a massive deal. Love has missed three full games with various injuries over the last two seasons, a reminder that the backup spot is not ornamental in Green Bay. The Packers also have not made a habit of standing still at the position: they last drafted a quarterback two years ago, when they took Tulane's Michael Pratt in the seventh round.
For now, the room is thin. The only other quarterbacks mentioned on the roster are Desmond Ridder and Kyle McCord. Ridder joined the practice squad late last season. McCord, a 2025 sixth-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles, spent last season on that club's practice squad after setting the ACC single-season passing yards record at Syracuse in 2024.
That leaves Green Bay looking at the draft and the veteran market at the same time. Gutekunst said the Packers have also talked about Kirk Cousins, and he pointed to the coach who knows Cousins best: Matt LaFleur was his first quarterbacks coach in the NFL. "We’ve discussed a lot of those options. Obviously, that’s a guy who’s got a lot of pelts on the wall in this league, so we’ve certainly discussed all those kind of things and we’ll see where it goes," Gutekunst said.
The vet market is still there. Russell Wilson, Tyrod Taylor, Joshua Dobbs and Cooper Rush remain unsigned. Last month at the league's annual meetings, Gutekunst said the Packers could let Ridder and McCord battle it out, but Tuesday's comments suggested the club is keeping the draft board open as well. That is the Packers' way: invest in quarterback depth even when the starter is set, then let the room sort itself out under pressure. With Love's injury history and Willis gone, the need is real, and Green Bay is acting like it knows it.