Packers QB pulls unusual move to fight for spot on the roster

The moment the Green Bay Packers drafted Michael Pratt in the seventh round last weekend, it was obvious that former USFL MVP Alex McGough would have a hard path to make the team. Well, now we know that his path will include a new position.

According to the official Packers website, McGough is now listed as a wide receiver.

McGough signed with the Packers last July after having an MVP season in the USFL for the Birmingham Stallions, where he also won two consecutive championships. He spent the entire 2023 season on the Packers' practice squad as QB3, behind Jordan Love and Sean Clifford.

With Pratt in the QB room now, it would be hard for McGough to even get a spot on the practice squad. At wide receiver, it will still be a tough road considering the depth Green Bay has, but at least he will fight with more spots on the table.

Alex McGough is 28 years old and played college football at Florida International. He was a seventh-round pick by the Seattle Seahawks in 2018, but didn't make the 53-man roster. Since then, he has spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans, and Seahawks again, before moving to the USFL.

In 2022, he was a backup to J'Mar Smith, but took over in 2023 after the starter got injured and played at a high level.

McGough joins a wide receiver room that already has Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Bo Melton, Malik Heath, Samori Toure, Grant DuBose, and Thyrick Pitts.

It's uncertain at this point if the switch was an initiative of Alex McGough or the Packers' coaching staff or front office, but the fact is that being an NFL player, even on a practice squad, is much better financially than playing in the UFL. So, for McGough it's still advantageous to make another try — even if it is an unlikely one.