When most people think of the Green Bay Packers, one word typically comes to mind: Quarterback.
Sure, Lambeau Field and Vince Lombardi are two things (or more realistically, a stadium and a head coach) that are also right up there in the Green Bay zeitgeist and NFL culture as a whole.
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The Packers’ overall success since becoming a franchise in 1921 has typically centered around the quarterback, though.
It’s just a position the Packers have gotten right more often than they’ve gotten it wrong, and in the NFL, you’ve got a chance to be great as long as you’ve got a franchise quarterback.
We’re right in the thick of Jordan Love’s era, and if you were to stop and think about it for even just one second…it’s remarkable that he’s generally considered a Top 10 NFL quarterback.
To be able to go from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers to Love is incredible. It’s just not luck. It comes down to talent and execution. The Packers seem to know what to look for in an en elite quarterback. They also have a good feel when it comes to the timing and tightrope act it takes to replace a franchise quarterback and keep things moving.
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Is Love going to be the Packers’ third-straight Hall of Fame franchise quarterback?
Frankly, probably not.
The odds were against the Packers when they decided to move on from Rodgers, though. The fact that Love is anything but a career backup is, honestly, incredible.
Again, quarterback is just what the Packers do, and a recent ranking from Bleacher Report is another great reminder of that.
B/R recently ranked the Top 99 quarterbacks in NFL history, and the Packers had two quarterbacks in the top ten. Of course, that would be Rodgers at No. 5 and Favre and No. 7.
Throw in Bart Starr at No. 14, and that’s three quarterbacks in the Top 15 of all-time.
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It truly is incredible.
Packers quarterback Brett Favre shows his delight after Edgar Bennett’s goal-line fumble was recovered by Antonio Freeman for a touchdown in the third quarter of the January 4 Divisional playoff win against San Francisco. The Packers defeated the 49ers that day, 35-14. January 29, 1997. 1997 Press Photo Packers Quarterback Brett Favre Celebrates Teams Touchdown. © JIM GEHRZ/MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL / USA TODAY NETWORK.
Starr played with the Packers from 1956 to 1971. He won five NFL championships, two Super Bowls, was a two-time Super Bowl MVP, and a league MVP.
Favre played with the Packers from 1992 to 2007. He won one Super Bowl, was a three-time NFL MVP, an 11-time Pro Bowler, and a three-time All-Pro.
Rodgers played with the Packers from 2005 to 2022. He won one Super Bowl, was a four-time NFL MVP, a 10-time Pro Bowler and a four-time All-Pro.
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