The Green Bay Packers have lined up Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt against each other to be Jordan Love’s backup for the 2024 season. However, both newborn quarterbacks have shown maturity in maintaining a fit relationship while competing for the same job.
“He said from the very beginning when I got here, it wasn’t me versus him or him versus me. It was him and me versus everybody else,” Pratt said. “I think it was just the mentality that we had, pushing each other to be better, and I think that’s what we did.
“I think we both got up every day and ultimately I don’t think that’s what we’re worried about. We’re worried about how we can help this team, how we can help the locker room, how we can help Jordan, so that’s the biggest focus right now.”
The competition is still wide open after three and a half weeks of training camp. Clifford had a solid performance in the team’s preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns, throwing for 119 yards and completing 53 percent of his passes. His numbers could have been even better if not for a few receiver drops, but he still led three scoring drives. Pratt entered the game in the third quarter and completed 5 of 7 passes for 46 yards.
Clifford has been the one calling the shots for the No. 2 offense during most of the practices. But he’s also responsible for the most interceptions at Ray Nitschke Field this summer.
Earlier this week, Clifford’s bad decisions finally caught up to him when he threw a pair of interceptions to safety Zayne Anderson and cornerback Kalen King. To finish Monday’s practice, coaches let Pratt run the twos in Clifford’s place.
Clifford returned to running with the reserves during a two-minute drill on Wednesday, and Matt LaFleur said he is likely to be in the starting lineup for the second preseason game against the Denver Broncos.
The hierarchy in Green Bay’s QB room could change depending on how things play out in Denver. But regardless of what happens, Clifford said the rivalry between him and Pratt is fit and that he respects the rookie quarterback because they’re there for the same reason. Ultimately, they both just want what’s best for the team.
“It’s super healthy,” Clifford said. “I’m honored to be competing with Mike because I respect him as a quarterback. When you come in and you have the opportunity to get better every day, and you know if you take a day off, he’s not going to be. It raises the level of competition in the room and I think at the end of the day, we’re all here to put the best product out there for the Packers. That’s all that matters is that we’re in the Super Bowl hunt every year and we can win the North.”
“He’s a great quarterback, so it’s awesome for me because if I stumble, he’ll come back and make the play, and it balances that back and forth,” he said. “We know what’s at stake, but you can still be friendly and have a good rivalry and just want to win, because that’s what we’re here for.”
