The Green Bay Packers have released veteran quarterback Kurt Benkert.
The team shared the official announcement with a release on Friday.
Benkert became a fan favorite during his time in Green Bay.
The NFL world, specifically Packers fans, took to Twitter to react to this news.
“Not the Friday news I needed,” one wrote.
“Thank you @KurtBenkert for being as wonderful as you have been for the #Packers fanbase! Good luck to you, sir!” another added.
Benkert himself reacted to the news.
“Life man. I appreciate everything that came with being a Packer. Equally as excited to see what’s next, can’t wait to get to work,” he wrote.
Benkert signed with the Packers last spring and spent most of the year on the team’s practice squad. He was called up from the practice squad in December when backup QB Jordan Love was moved to the COVID-19/reserve list. His only in-game action came when he kneeled the ball twice at the end of a Week 14 win over the Bears.
Benkert, a former UVA QB, was picked up by the Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He spent the majority of his next three years on Atlanta’s practice squad.
Back-to-back league MVP Aaron Rodgers, backup Jordan Love and third-stringer Danny Etling are now the three quarterbacks on the Packers’ roster.