The Green Bay Packers backup quarterback job remains up in the air, but for Desmond Ridder, he’s just hoping he has any job. The former castoff of the Arizona Cardinals and Atlanta Falcons has been dodging rumors throughout the offseason. While he faces competition from Kyle McCord, he was also crossing his fingers that his new team wouldn’t sign an established veteran like Kirk Cousins.
On Thursday, Ridder could breathe a small sigh of relief. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Cousins agreed to sign with the Las Vegas Raiders on a one-year deal. While Cousins will head to Vegas to presumably be the bridge for expected No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, he also had plenty of suitors, as The Athletic’s Dianna Russini stated that the Packers, Cardinals, and Los Angeles Rams also had interest in signing the 38-year-old.
In the end, Cousins won’t be coming to Green Bay, and it’s a small victory for Ridder as he looks to earn a job with the Packers this summer.
Desmond Ridder’s QB2 Bid Still Alive After Kirk Cousins Signs with Raiders
Cousins would have been a brutal blow to Ridder’s hopes if he landed in Green Bay. A 14-year veteran, Cousins has played in 174 games and started 167 of them, performing admirably for the Falcons last season, going 5-3 in eight games as a starter. With experience in a Sean McVay/Mike Shanahan-style offense throughout his career, he would have been a lock for the QB2 job behind Jordan Love, likely leaving Ridder relegated to a practice squad spot either in Green Bay or with another team.
But the allure of having the chance to start while Mendoza learns the pro game was likely a key selling point for Cousins, and it’s something that Ridder could benefit from moving forward.
The Packers could still add a backup quarterback in free agency, but the options are dwindling. Jimmy Garoppolo, Brandon Allen, and Brett Rypien are options due to their experience in the McVay/Shanahan scheme. Even if they went outside of that tree to sign Russell Wilson, they are unlikely to play at the same level if something were to happen to Love.
If the current crop of free agents isn’t attractive to the Packers, they could go into the draft to add competition. But it’s unlikely to be on the first two days of the draft, and even if they add one, that player will have to learn the offense quickly to beat out Ridder or McCord.
While there’s still a possibility the Packers could keep their eyes open throughout training camp for an option as they did before trading for Malik Willis a few years ago, Ridder has a chance to put that conversation to bed this summer, which is the key to winning the QB2 job.
As of now, it’s hard to be optimistic about Ridder as Love’s backup. A third-round pick in the 2022 draft by Atlanta, he appeared in 25 games and started 18 of them throughout his four-year career, but the results haven’t been great as he went 8-10 as a starter and completed 63.6 percent of his passes for 4,002 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions.
But you could also have said the same thing when the Packers acquired Willis in a trade for the Tennessee Titans. A few successful starts later, Willis was cashing in during free agency and proving many wrong about his long-term future in the NFL.
The biggest thing is that the opportunity is in front of Ridder. That wouldn’t have been the case if Cousins landed in Green Bay. Now, the best thing he can do is take the opportunity, run with it, and stake his claim to the backup quarterback job this summer.