The Green Bay Packers are in a tough spot. Following their 15-9 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Matt LaFleur's squad fell to 3-6 and sits 4.5 games behind the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North. With the Packers on a five-game losing streak -- the longest active losing streak in the NFL -- something has to change quickly.
What if the Packers don't turn it around this season? What if they quickly find themselves out of the playoff picture? Packers Hall of Fame safety LeRoy Butler says the team should bench star quarterback Aaron Rodgers to give Jordan Love a chance to prove his worth if Green Bay loses its next three games,
"OK, say you lose three more games," Butler said on CBS Sports' Maggie and Perloff show. "Look at that in perspective. You got the Cowboys -- best defense -- I mean the defense -- Micah Parsons, oh my goodness. And then you play, when they put my name up in the ring of honor, the Titans. They got a young quarterback. That defense gets after you as well, then you got the Eagles, best team in the league.
"After that point, if you've lost those games, you've got to get Jordan Love in there at some point, because there's no playoffs. I mean, there's no playoffs, you're not in the playoffs. You have to find out at some point can Jordan Love play because you can't get rid of Aaron Rodgers because of his contract. But you can find a way to get Jordan Love some work to just kind of find out what you're going to have in a few years."
When could Rodgers be benched for Jordan Love?
— Maggie Gray (@MaggieGray) November 8, 2022
HOF safety Leroy Butler gives us a date. #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/67RRwGSXva
It's an interesting conversation. Rodgers is 38 (he'll turn 39 on Dec. 2) and under contract for two more years. If the Packers aren't making the playoffs, then maybe it would be wise to save him. As for Love, he's under contract for one more year, then has a fifth-year option for 2024 that has to be exercised or declined this offseason. With just one career start, no one is really sure what Green Bay has in Love.
It's hard to imagine Rodgers taking a seat and giving up on the season, but it's something that Butler says should be considered.
