Despite a report to the contrary, Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has insisted the team has had no conversations with free agent quarterbacks about a potential signing in the wake of Jordan Love’s Week 1 knee injury.
During his September 9 press conference, LaFleur fielded a question about a report from The Athletic’s Dianna Russini that the team “reached out” to veteran free agent quarterback Ryan Tannehill following Love’s injury in their season-opening loss.
“While there is no deal right now, the Green Bay Packers have reached out to free agent quarterback Ryan Tannehill, sources tell @theathletic,” she wrote on X on Sunday. “The former Titans quarterback told me in July, for him to sign, ‘It would have to be the right situation.’”
LaFleur, however, denied any conversations taking place between the team and any free agent quarterbacks — and seemed a little annoyed about a report saying otherwise.
“No. Despite reports,” LaFleur said Monday. “It’s crazy to me how people come up with some of these things. I think you explore every possibility, but at no point in time did we ever have any discussions with anybody.”
Tannehill, 36, remains the most experienced free agent quarterback on the market. He has started 151 career games and thrown for nearly 35,000 passing yards over his first 11 seasons in the league, spending time with both Miami and Tennessee. If the Packers felt they needed a veteran during Love’s absence, Tannehill would be a sensible choice.
The problem is that the Packers have two reasons to avoid that route — at least for now.
Packers Not Ruling Out Jordan Love Yet for Week 2
Throw a figurative stone on the internet and you will find a sportswriter talking about how much sense Tannehill makes for the Packers. For instance, Bleacher Report’s NFL Scouting Department argued it would be “smart” for the team to add Tannehill to their roster ahead of their Week 2 matchup to avoid trotting out two inexperienced options.
LaFleur offered two compelling reasons why they should not heed that advice, though, the biggest being the Packers are optimistic that Love will quickly return to the field.
LaFleur told reporters on September 9 that the team will not need to place Love on the injured reserve list, indicating they are hopeful he can return to the lineup within the next four weeks. Had the Packers placed Love on IR, he would have been required to miss at least four games and would not have returned until Week 6 at the earliest.
LaFleur even left the door open for Love to play against Indianapolis in Week 2.
“Couldn’t give you a percentage,” LaFleur said. “But if he gets cleared, we’ll give him every opportunity [to play] like we always will.”
If the Packers do not clear Love — and that remains the most likely outcome — then LaFleur said the team is comfortable starting backup Malik Willis against the Colts in Week 2. The Packers would then call up Sean Clifford from the practice squad to back up Willis, giving them a plan that does not require them to make an outside signing.
Packers Have ‘Confidence’ in Malik Willis Starting
The Packers’ backup plan without Love warrants a degree of concern. They struggled to find an adequate backup for Love in training camp with both Clifford and seventh-round rookie Michael Pratt underperforming throughout the summer. To solve their issue, they then traded a 2025 seventh-round pick to the Titans for Willis, bringing a quarterback with higher upside — but similar struggles — to serve as their No. 2.
Logistically, it is not the most sound plan; although, the Packers likely didn’t anticipate they would need to call upon Willis as their starter after just one game in 2024.
Nevertheless, LaFleur expressed confidence in Willis despite the short amount of time he has spent in Green Bay, learning his offense and playbook. The Packers traded for Willis on August 27 and watched Love go down with his knee injury 10 days later.
“He’s put a lot of time and effort into this,” LaFleur said. “He’s learned the terminology and he’s able to spit out the play calls. We’ve got confidence in him — if he’s given a full week of preparation, I’ve got confidence he’ll perform at a high level.”
The Packers are certainly taking a gamble with Willis in Week 2, but trusting him is part of them trusting the process — and not panicking when things go wrong along the way.
The Packers (0-1) will face the Colts (0-1) in their home opener at Lambeau Field at 1 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday, September 15.
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