Packers’ Matt LaFleur gets 100% real about giving former MVP a chance as Jordan Love weapon

The Green Bay Packers are riding the momentum of their impressive 2024 postseason into the offseason. Green Bay looks to take another jump in 2024-25 under the leadership of Matt LaFleur and Jordan Love. Nevertheless, the team is giving former United States Football League (USFL) MVP Alex McGough a new role, and LaFleur believes he can make a real difference.

Alex McGough won the USFL MVP award as a quarterback for the Birmingham Stallions in 2023 when he led the team to a championship. However, he started his professional career in 2018 as a seventh-round selection of the Seattle Seahawks. He spent two stints with them and split more time between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans.

McGough found newfound success after joining the USFL. After his stellar 2023 run, he joined the Packers practice squad, and his work for the last year has caught the coaching staff’s attention. However, McGough’s quarterbacking abilities, which helped him become a top player in the USFL, are not what Matt LaFleur is excited about. LaFleur believes McGough’s versatility and athleticism can help the Packers in other areas.

“He’s a really athletic guy,” LaFleur said after Friday’s rookie minicamp, per Packers Wire. “He spent a lot of time on the scout team running receiver routes, and he did such a great job. We feel like he’s such a talented athlete, why not give him a chance there? He’s a smart guy, works his tail off. I think he can contribute on (special teams) as well. We felt like that might be his best chance here.”

While McGough is capable of playing QB at a high level, LaFleur believes he will better serve the team in multiple potential roles. McGough’s ability to play several positions is a massive advantage. Whether he backs up Jordan Love on offense or returns kicks on special teams, he has a high capacity to thrive.

It will be interesting to see what role the former USFL MVP lands amid his new venture.

Packers have multiple weapons ahead of 2024-25

Alex McGough adds to a healthy list of weapons the Packers can use in their NFC ascent. Green Bay will continue to be led by rising fourth-year QB Jordan Love.

Love solidified himself as a worthy Aaron Rodgers heir after a stellar year of production in 2023-24. The 25-year-old threw for 4,159 yards (seventh in the NFL), 32 touchdowns (second), and boasted a QBR (ninth) of 62.1.

More impressively, Love led the Packers to a striking 49-32 first-round playoff victory over Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys. He went toe-to-toe with the veteran QB, amassing 272 yards and three TDs in the Wild Card matchup.

Love looks to help Green Bay advance deeper in 2025, but he and the team have some fearsome adversaries standing in the way.

The Packers’ 2024 Divisional Round foe reigns atop the NFC. The 49ers went through the entire conference and advanced to Super Bowl 58. However, they were beaten 25-22 by Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Still, the Packers must go through San Francisco again in addition to the Detroit Lions and the on-the-rise Chicago Bears. Thankfully, the 49ers do not reside in Green Bay’s division, but the Packers must still work hard to make it out of the NFC North.

With the revamped squad Matt LaFleur has helped assemble, the Packers should be able to take a step forward in 2024-25.