Someday in the not too distant future, we’ll likely be saying that. Green Bay Packers backup quarterback Brett Hundley has two years left on his rookie deal.
Why does that matter?
Aaron Rodgers is obviously going to be around for a while yet. If Hundley continues to play well when he’s given the opportunity, there’s no way he’s sticking around as a backup with the Packers when that deal expires. Some team will give him the opportunity to compete for a starting job, which is something Hundley covets.
The Packers will face this decision next offseason: trade Hundley before his deal expires or keep him as insurance for one final year and let him walk?
Obviously, we’d like to see the Packers take the approach Ron Wolf took with guys like Aaron Brooks, Mark Brunell and Matt Hasselbeck. He traded each of those guys while they were still under contract. They each had value, but were never going to get into the starting lineup with Brett Favre hanging around.
Would Ted Thompson or his replacement (if Thompson isn’t retained when his contract expires) make such a move?
Thompson might and he might not. He could have shopped Matt Flynn prior to the 2011 season. Instead, he kept Flynn around to back up Rodgers and got nothing for him when he signed with Seattle as a free agent in 2012.
We know what logic dictates here, but logic doesn’t always win out with the Packers. Rob Demovsky suggested the Packers will explore the possibility, however.
The Packers probably will look to trade Hundley after this coming season, and he could be a valued commodity if he turns in another good summer in 2017. Thompson used a fifth-round pick on Hundley and should be able to fetch something higher in return.
We could see the Packers landing a fourth-round pick for Hundley now. If he gets any extensive action in the regular season and plays well — like Tom Brady’s backup Jimmy Garoppolo did in 2016 — that pick could get even higher.
It has been suggested that if/when the Patriots trade Garoppolo, they may get a first-rounder.
Ultimately, the Hundley question may come down to another guy and what he shows this summer: Joe Callahan.