7:02 am | August 29, 2018 | Go to Source | Author:
GREEN BAY, Wis. — If something happens to Aaron Rodgers this season, it will be up to DeShone Kizer — and not Brett Hundley — to keep the Green Bay Packers‘ season afloat.
The Packers traded Hundley to the Seattle Seahawks on Wednesday for a 2019 draft pick, sources told ESPN’s Rob Demovsky and Adam Schefter.
It’s the second quarterback trade made by the Packers in the last six months. They acquired Kizer from Cleveland Browns in March in exchange for cornerback Damarious Randall.
Hundley went 3-6 in nine starts last season after Rodgers broke his collarbone. He kept the Packers’ playoff hopes alive — but just barely — for Rodgers to return in Week 15. Green Bay ultimately missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
In 2017, Hundley threw for 1,836 yards and nine touchdowns, but he also had 12 interceptions.
The Packers plan to keep both Kizer and rookie Tim Boyle, an undrafted free agent, on their 53-man roster, barring something unforeseen between now and Saturday’s final cuts, a source said.
Kizer went 0-15 as the Browns’ rookie starter last season and struggled with accuracy (53.6 completion percentage) and turnovers (league-high 22 interceptions). However, Packers first-year general manager Brian Gutekunst, who has repeated raved about coach Mike McCarthy and his staff’s ability to develop quarterbacks, clearly saw enough improvement in Kizer.
“I definitely see progress and development and improvement,” Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin said Tuesday of Kizer.
For Hundley, who is in the final year of his rookie contract, he now goes from backing up Rodgers to Russell Wilson. Incumbent Austin Davis and rookie seventh-round pick Alex McGough have been competing to back up Wilson, and neither has distinguished himself over the summer.
Seattle, like many teams, has typically only carried one backup quarterback, so the job appears to belong to Hundley. If he doesn’t make the team, McGough would be a candidate for the practice squad.
In recent seasons, the Seahawks have either gone with a veteran as Wilson’s backup (Tarvaris Jackson, Davis) or an inexperienced developmental prospect. In Hundley, they have both — a young backup with starting experience.
ESPN’s Brady Henderson contributed to this report.
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