Practice-squadder Kurt Benkert is the team’s third quarterback
The Green Bay Packers announced today that backup quarterback Jordan Love has been placed on the reserve/Covid-19 list. While the Packers do not comment on the vaccination status of their players, Love has previously confirmed that he has received the vaccine (not an “immunization”) to the media. Vaccinated players do not get placed on the reserve/Covid-19 list for being close contacts, meaning that Love, if he is vaccinated as he has claimed, has tested positive for the virus.
A vaccinated Love can return to the field after two negative tests 24 hours apart with no symptoms of the virus. Love has played sparingly in his two years in Green Bay aside from his start against the Kansas City Chiefs, which starter Aaron Rodgers missed due to the virus.
Head coach Matt LaFleur stated today Rodgers will not have surgery on his fractured pinky toe “to my knowledge.” The only other quarterback on the roster, aside from Rodgers and Love, is practice-squadder Kurt Benkert, who is typically protected on the practice squad on Tuesdays. One would assume that if Love cannot play that Benkert would be activated to the gameday roster by the Saturday deadline for this week’s matchup against the Chicago Bears. Benkert, like Rodgers and Love, also missed time this season while on the reserve/Covid-19 list.
Be on the look for a Blake Bortles signing by the Packers this week, too. Bortles initially signed with the team in the summer during #RodgersWatch2021, likely due to his experience with offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who he played under in Jacksonville. When Rodgers and Benkert were placed on the reserve/Covid-19 list, the team again signed Bortles to their practice squad and actually activated him against the Chiefs. Short of only carrying two quarterbacks this week, the Packers will likely go to the well again and sign Bortles once more to the practice squad as insurance at the position.