Former Vikings QB Among Top Options for Packers After Jordan Love Injury
The Green Bay Packers fell to the Philadelphia Eagles by five points in Friday evening’s season opener in Sao Paulo, Brazil, but that wasn’t the biggest loss of the night. Quarterback Jordan Love went down with what appeared to be a severe ankle sprain on the third-to-last play of the game, hobbling off of the field while leaning on team trainers for support. Malik Willis stepped in for Love for two plays and looked every bit the inexperienced quarterback he is, both in terms of regular-season NFL game action and as the orchestrator of the Packers offense.
ESPN’s Rob Demovsky authored a piece following the loss examining what the Packers can do under center if Love is out for an extended period of time and named former Minnesota Vikings QB Kellen Mond among the potential options to replace him. Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love. Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports Mond is a free agent looking for a home after stints in Minnesota, where he played in just one game, followed by runs in the offseason/preseason and/or on the practice squads of the Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints, per Pro Football Reference.
Mond isn’t an ideal option considering how little experience he has, though teams have made the best out of similar situations with similar quarterbacks in recent years. The Vikings, for instance, added Josh Dobbs ahead of Week 9 last year after Kirk Cousins went down with an Achilles tear. Minnesota was forced to thrust Dobbs into the lineup just days after joining the franchise and absent much knowledge of the offense or even several of his new teammates’ names. Despite that, Minnesota won his first game in relief of the injured Jaren Hall and went 2-2 with Dobbs under center over the following four contests.
Mond was a third-round pick out of Texas A&M in 2021 (No. 66 overall) and is still just 25 years old. The Packers wouldn’t need to give up anything to acquire his services, as Mond is a free agent, and the contract price wouldn’t likely be more than the roughly $1 million deal he signed with the Saints before that organization released him. Green Bay’s next move will depend entirely on what Love’s prognosis and return timetable end up being, both of which head coach Matt LaFleur said remained unknowns as of Friday night. A veteran quarterback like Ryan Tannehill may make more sense if the Packers don’t have faith in Willis or practice squad QB Sean Clifford to fill in for Love long-term
