The Green Bay Packers are moving on at the quarterback position after parting ways with Sean Clifford on NFL cutdown day.
Bill Huber of Sports Illustrated broke the news via an X post on Tuesday, August 26.
“The Packers released Sean Clifford, according to a source,” Huber wrote.
Green Bay selected Clifford in the fifth round of the 2023 draft out of Penn State. He appeared in two games that season behind starter Jordan Love, though attempted only three passes in green and gold.
The Packers brought in Malik Willis, formerly of the Tennessee Titans, trading a seventh-round pick to acquire him exactly one year ago today.
Love suffered an injury late in the team’s season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil last year, which provided an opportunity for Willis that might otherwise have been Clifford’s shot to prove himself as a signal-caller who belongs in the league longterm.
Instead, Willis took the reins and led Green Bay to a 2-0 record as the starter. In all, Willis appeared in seven contests in 2024, throwing for 550 yards, three TDs and zero INTs while also rushing the football 20 times for 138 yards and one score.
Clifford remained a member of the Packers for the entire campaign, though he never saw the field. He also held onto a roster spot all the way through training camp and the preseason until the Packers decided to cut ties with the 27-year-old on Tuesday.
Clifford appeared in all three preseason games, finishing August 9-of-17 passing for 44 yards. He threw neither a touchdown nor an interception.
Undrafted Rookie Taylor Elgersma Outplayed Sean Clifford During Preseason, Also Cut by Packers
GettyQuarterback Taylor Elgersma, formerly of the Green Bay Packers.
There remains a chance that Clifford could catch back on in Green Bay as a member of the practice squad in days to come, though undrafted rookie Taylor Elgersma clearly outplayed him over the course of the preseason.
Elgersma attended Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada and was a second-round pick of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Canadian Football League in 2025.
Based on their preseason comparison, should Elgersma clear waivers he is more likely than Clifford to end up back with the Packers as the practice squad signal-caller/QB3.
Elgersma, 23 years old, finished the summer with 166 passing yards and one touchdown.
Jordan Love’s Injury Issues Last Season Render Packers’ QB3 Important Position Heading Into 2025
GettyQuarterback Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers.
The Packers’ QB3 position could be of real consequence depending on Love’s health.
Now among the highest-paid players in the NFL, Love battled through injury issues last year that saw his traditional production dip and some of his advanced metrics suffer compared to the previous season, which was his first as a full-time starter.
Love underwent surgery on August 12 to repair ligament damage in the thumb on his non-throwing hand, and the franchise expects him to be ready to play Week 1 against the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field.
“I think with the time frame that we have right now, finishing up training camp and preseason and heading into the season with the choice to be going into the season 100 [percent] healthy was definitely the call I wanted to make,” Love said earlier this month, per ESPN.
Willis proved he can fill in for Love in a pinch based on the work he did last season. But if Love deals with injury issues again in 2025, the Packers’ third-string QB — whoever that ends up being — will be one play away from game action for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
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