Green Bay Packers pull off one of the biggest surprises of the draft, trading up to draft quarterback Jordan Love as a possible successor to Aaron Rodgers

• The Green Bay Packers pulled off the biggest shocker of the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night, trading up to select Utah State quarterback Jordan Love.
• The move seems to imply that the Packers are preparing for a post-Aaron Rodgers future at some point. Rodgers will be 36 this fall when the NFL season is scheduled to start.
• The pick sets up a funny bit of symmetry, as Rodgers famously had to sit behind Brett Favre for three years after being taken by the Packers in the 2005 NFL Draft.
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The Green Bay Packers pulled off a shocking move in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night.

Heading into the night with the 30th overall pick, the Packers decided to trade up four spots to take Utah State quarterback Jordan Love in the first round.

The Packers' decision to draft Love came as a shock to many football fans, who are aware that the Packers already employ a pretty good quarterback at the moment — Aaron Rodgers.

The move sets up an interesting potential parallel in Green Bay. When Rodgers was drafted in 2005, he was forced to serve as a backup to Brett Favre for three seasons before the Packers decided to hand him the reins of the offense. Despite being essentially a Packer for life up until that point, Favre decided he wasn't done playing and spent time with the Jets and Vikings before retiring a few seasons later.

With Love now behind Rodgers, it's possible we see a similar scenario play out again in Green Bay, with Rodgers now on the other side of the equation.

The move has to come as a disappointment to Rodgers, who was clearly hoping for a weapon to help the Packers win a Super Bowl this year, rather than a quarterback that will be playing behind him.

—Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) April 24, 2020

In the lead up to the draft, Rodgers spoke to the possibility of the Packers drafting a quarterback. He didn't seem too worried about his job security.

—Field Yates (@FieldYates) April 24, 2020

Another wrinkle in Love's selection is the fact that Rodgers is under contract through 2023. By the time Rodgers' contract is up, Love will almost be ready for an extension.

—Ben Volin (@BenVolin) April 24, 2020

Obviously there's still a long way to go before Love pulls off the same journey to becoming the Packers starter that Rodgers did while succeeding Favre.

That said, the fact that Green Bay moved up to get him seems to indicate that the Packers are at least beginning to think about a football future without Rodgers at some point down the line.

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