Packers linked to surprise quarterback trade candidate from Broncos

The Green Bay Packers have a deep, talented offense, but there is one roster hole that has fans of the team slightly concerned.

Though the Packers are confident that Jordan Love is their quarterback of the future, they have a distinct lack of talent behind him on the depth chart. Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt have been competing for the primary backup job in the preseason, but both have looked incompetent.

If things go according to plan, the backup quarterback position won't matter for Green Bay. But this is the National Football League, where backup quarterbacks can prove to make or break teams' seasons when the best-laid plans go up in smoke.

With that in mind, one football writer believes the Packers could swing a trade for an upgrade behind Love at the QB position. And the name Green Bay would be trading for is likely to raise an eyebrow or two among Wisconsinites.

Christopher Kline of FanSided proposed on Saturday that the Packers should send a sixth-round pick to the Denver Broncos for backup quarterback Zach Wilson, formerly a second-overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft for the New York Jets.

"The Packers should absolutely place the phone call," Kline said. "Wilson has an understandably complex reputation in league circles, but even the staunchest detractors have to admit that he carries more upside than Sean Clifford or Michael Pratt."

Wilson, 25, was undoubtedly a disappointment in New York, who had high hopes the former BYU standout could be the first Jets franchise quarterback in eons. In three seasons, spanning 33 games started, Wilson put up some of the worst numbers of any quarterbacks in the NFL.

With a 12-21 record, 57.0% completion rate, 23 touchdowns to 25 interceptions, and an astonishing 113 sacks, it's easy to see why the Jets gave up on Wilson. But the raw talent that got him drafted is still there somewhere, and perhaps the Packers could be the team to access it.

For the price of a sixth-round pick, it may be worth taking a gamble that Wilson could find a second wind, as his ceiling is far higher than Clifford's or Pratt's. But if Love really were to get injured, would Wilson still be able to help Green Bay's roster to a playoff spot?

If the Packers don't believe so, then it's likely not worth pursuing.

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