GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers still have only two quarterbacks on their roster — and only one of them who isn’t at odds with the team — but either way they need a couple of arms for this weekend’s rookie camp. So they’re planning to bring in two quarterbacks on a tryout basis: journeymen Chad Kelly and Kurt Benkert.
They are believed to be the only two quarterbacks the Packers are bringing in this weekend, a source said.
Jordan Love, the Packers’ first-round pick in 2020, is not eligible to participate, a source said, even though he did not appear in a game last season as a rookie. In fact, he did not even suit up for a game last season; he was inactive throughout the regular season and playoffs. Tim Boyle was the No. 2 quarterback behind Aaron Rodgers but the Packers did not tender Boyle as a restricted free agent, allowing him to sign with the Detroit Lions.
The Packers had planned for Love to serve as Rodgers’ backup this season, but Rodgers’ disgruntlement with team has put Love in the position where he might have to start in Year 2 unless the Packers can convince Rodgers to return.
Kelly, the nephew of former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly, was the last pick (Mr. Irrelevant) in the 2017, but has had a troubled career. He was kickoff off the football team and Clemson in 2014. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct after he was arrested for a bar fight that same year. He was arrested in 2018 while with the Broncos on suspicion of first-degree criminal trespassing. He signed with the Colts in 2019 but served a two-game suspension to start that season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. He began last season on the Colts’ practice squad but was released on Sept. 30.
Benkert is former undrafted free agent with the Falcons in 2018. He spent the 2018 and 2020 season on the Falcons’ practice squad and was on injured reserve (toe) in 2019. He was released by the Falcons in February.
The Packers did not draft a quarterback or sign one as part of their initial undrafted free agent class.
“We’ll add a third arm and maybe a fourth arm as we go through,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said after the draft. “We’ve kind of had some conversations before the draft with some veterans and then there’s some rookie guys we’re looking at, as well. So, but yeah, we would never go into camp with two. We’ll at least have three and possibly four.”
NFL Network first reported the team’s plans with Kelly and Benkert.