Battle of the backups: Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt keeping it friendly amid heated QB competition

The Green Bay Packers have pitted Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt against each other to be Jordan Love’s backup for the 2024 season. However, the two young quarterbacks have shown maturity by maintaining a healthy relationship while competing for the same job.

“He said from the very beginning of when I got here that it’s not me vs. him or him vs. me. It’s him and I vs. everyone else,” Pratt said. “I think that’s just kind of the mentality we’ve had is pushing each other to make each other better, and I think that’s what we’ve been doing.

“I think we’ve both been elevating every single day and ultimately, I don’t think that’s what we’re concerned about. We’re concerned about how we can help this team, how we can help the locker room, how we can help Jordan, and so, that’s the biggest emphasis right now.”

The competition is still wide open through three and a half weeks of training camp. Clifford had a solid outing in the team’s preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns, throwing for 119 yards while completing 53 percent of his passing attempts. His numbers could have been even better if not for a couple of drops from the receivers, yet he still led three scoring drives. Pratt entered the game in the third quarter and would complete 5 out of 7 passes for 46 yards.

During most practices, Clifford has been the one calling the signals for the No. 2 offense. However, he is also responsible for the most interceptions out on Ray Nitschke Field this summer.

Earlier in the week, Clifford’s poor decision-making finally caught up to him after he threw a pair of picks to safety Zayne Anderson and corner Kalen King. To finish Monday’s practice, the coaches let Pratt run with the twos instead of Clifford.

On Wednesday, Clifford was back running with the backups during the two-minute drill, with Matt LaFleur stating that he would likely be the one getting the start in the second preseason game against the Denver Broncos.

The pecking order in Green Bay’s QB room could change depending on how things go in Denver. But regardless of what happens, Clifford said the competition between him and Pratt is healthy and that he respects the rookie quarterback because they are there for the same reason. In the end, both just want what’s best for the team.

“It’s super healthy,” said Clifford. “I’m honored to compete with Mike because I respect him so much as a quarterback. When you come in and you have an opportunity to get better every single day, and you know that if you take a day off, he’s not. It raises the level of the competition in the room, and I think, ultimately, we’re all here to put the best product on the field for the Packers. That’s the only thing that matters is that we’re in Super Bowl contention every single year, and we can win the North.”

“He’s a great quarterback, so it’s awesome for me because if I slip up, he’s gonna come back and make a play, and it’s balancing that back and forth,” he said. “We know what’s at stake, but you can still be friendly and have a good competitive room and just want to win because that’s what we’re here to do.”