Green Bay Packers Decline To Sign QB To Practice Squad Despite Strong 2025 Preseason

Sometimes NFL teams make decisions that leave you scratching your head, wondering if the front office watched the same games you did. The Green Bay Packers’ choice not to sign Taylor Elgersma to their practice squad is one of those head-scratchers.

Here’s a quarterback who won the Canadian equivalent of the Heisman Trophy, outperformed his competition in preseason metrics, and earned praise from Jordan Love himself. Yet when roster cutdown time came, the Packers showed Elgersma the door and are now looking outside the organization for depth behind Love and Malik Willis.

It’s a puzzling move that raises questions about what the Packers truly value in their quarterback evaluation process. More importantly, it might represent a missed opportunity to develop a genuinely intriguing prospect.

Taylor Elgersma’s Preseason Performance: A Missed Opportunity?

Let’s talk numbers, because they paint a pretty clear picture. Elgersma led all Packers quarterbacks in completion percentage, yards per attempt, and passer rating during the preseason. His 104.6 passer rating wasn’t just good—it was significantly better than the combined marks of Love (39.6) and Willis (61.3).

Now, preseason stats aren’t everything. We all know that. Preseason heroes become regular season zeros with depressing frequency. But when you’re evaluating a developmental prospect for your practice squad, shouldn’t performance against similar competition matter?

The transition from Canadian football to the NFL isn’t trivial. The field dimensions are different, the rules vary, and the speed of play jumps considerably. Yet Elgersma navigated these changes while putting up the best numbers among Green Bay’s signal-callers. That suggests adaptability and football intelligence—qualities that typically translate well to professional development.

Jordan Love’s endorsement carries weight too. “I think Taylor’s done a great job,” Love said. “I think Taylor’s a really smart guy, he’s picked up the offense very well, and he’s done some good things on the field.” When your franchise quarterback vouches for a guy’s football IQ and work ethic, that’s not nothing.

The Green Bay Packers’ Quarterback Room in 2025

The Packers enter the 2025 season with Love entrenched as their starter and Willis providing what might be the best backup situation in the league. Willis’s transformation from Tennessee disappointment to Green Bay contributor remains one of the more encouraging quarterback reclamation projects in recent memory.

Behind those two, however, the cupboard is bare. Reports suggest the Green Bay Packers are interested in former Houston quarterback Clayton Tune, who was a fifth-round pick by Arizona in 2023. Tune has to clear waivers first, but if Green Bay lands him, they’d be adding a player with legitimate draft pedigree.

The question is: why go outside the building when you had a promising prospect right under your nose? Elgersma might not have the traditional college pedigree, but his Canadian success and preseason performance suggested he could develop into a competent NFL backup given time and proper coaching.

Sean Clifford’s release makes more sense. The former Penn State quarterback never progressed beyond his rookie struggles, and his mistake-prone 2024 season likely sealed his fate. Sometimes players just don’t develop as hoped, and Clifford appears to fall into that category.

But Elgersma represents something different—untapped potential rather than a known commodity who didn’t work out.

The Bigger Picture: Evaluating Quarterback Prospects

The Packers’ decision reflects a broader challenge NFL teams face when evaluating quarterbacks. How much weight do you give to practice performance versus game action? How do you balance potential against immediate readiness? And when does a player’s background—in this case, Canadian university football—become a factor?

Green Bay apparently decided that Elgersma hadn’t “advance[d] far enough, fast enough,” according to reports. That’s fair enough as an evaluation, but it raises the question of timeline expectations. Practice squad spots exist precisely to give players additional development time. If you’re not willing to invest that time in a player who outperformed his competition in live game action, what exactly are you looking for?

The Packers have generally done well developing quarterbacks under Matt LaFleur’s system. Love himself needed time to develop, and Willis found new life in Green Bay after struggling elsewhere. That track record makes the Elgersma decision even more puzzling.

What’s Next for Taylor Elgersma?

For Elgersma, the NFL dream isn’t over. At 24, he has time to find another opportunity, whether that’s with another NFL team or back in Canada where he was a second-round CFL draft pick. His preference is clearly to stay in the NFL, and his preseason performance should generate some interest around the league.

The quarterback position is volatile enough that opportunities arise quickly. An injury here, a poor performance there, and teams suddenly need bodies who can step in and manage games. Elgersma’s combination of size, arm talent, and demonstrated ability to learn new systems quickly makes him worth a flyer for teams with practice squad space.

The Packers, meanwhile, will likely be fine with Love and Willis leading the way. But they might look back on this decision with regret if Elgersma develops elsewhere while their own depth remains questionable.

Sometimes the best decisions are the ones that seem obvious in hindsight. The Packers chose to look elsewhere rather than develop what they had. Time will tell if that was wisdom or a missed opportunity.