Desmond Ridder

Career StatsD

Year	Team	GP	Yards	TD	INT	RTG
Career		25	4,002	16	14	82.6
2025		3	173	1	1	55.3
2024		6	458	2	2	73.6

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

The Packers secured exceptional backup quarterback value by signing Desmond Ridder to a $1.2M deal, earning a B+ CVI that represents one of the smarter low-risk moves of the offseason. While Ridder profiles as a rotational player rather than a consistent starter, his combination of youth, mobility, and developmental upside far exceeds what you'd typically expect at the veteran minimum salary tier. At 25 years old with starting experience under his belt, Ridder offers Green Bay a legitimate insurance policy behind Jordan Love without handcuffing their salary cap flexibility. The one-year structure is pure upside for the Packers — if Ridder develops into a quality backup or emergency starter, they've found a bargain; if not, they move on without any long-term commitment. This signing exemplifies smart roster construction, giving the Packers a former third-round pick with untapped potential at a price point that makes it essentially risk-free while providing meaningful depth at the league's most important position.

Performance Analysis

Desmond Ridder, a fourth-year quarterback entering his second stint as a backup, has never fully seized a starting opportunity despite being a third-round pick with functional athleticism. His overall grade sits at a D, reflecting a player who remains on the fringes of NFL viability. Among backup-tier quarterbacks, Ridder offers a known commodity — a low-ceiling option teams cycle through during injury emergencies. His career numbers — a 82.6 passer rating and 63.6 completion percentage — suggest a serviceable game manager in controlled situations. However, his current season tells a harsher story: a 55.3 passer rating against the NFL average of 77.2, a 43.2 completion rate well below the league's 64.2 benchmark, and a dismal 4.68 yards per attempt compared to the 6.90 NFL average. Averaging just 57.7 passing yards per game — against a league average of 230.0 — his usage has been minimal, but the efficiency within that usage remains deeply troubling. His seasonal arc trends consistently downward — grading out at D+ in 2023, dropping to F in 2024, and carrying that same F-level performance into 2025. The trajectory mirrors quarterbacks like Josh Rosen or Blaine Gabbert — players whose physical tools generated initial interest but whose decision-making and consistency never scaled to sustained starting roles. For Ridder to remain in the league beyond a camp roster spot, a demonstrable mechanical reset and improved short-area accuracy are non-negotiable developments to monitor heading into next offseason.

Fan Sentiment

Desmond Ridder's public standing has settled into firmly negative territory, earning a D+ sentiment grade that reflects a quarterback the league has largely moved on from. Media coverage of his release was almost dismissively brief — framed as routine housekeeping rather than any meaningful roster decision, with most of the attention directed at Green Bay's simultaneous signing of Tyrod Taylor as the real story. That framing tracks with his on-field performance grade of D, confirming this isn't a case of unfair perception dragging down an undervalued player — the narrative and the production are aligned. In three games during the 2025 season, Ridder never gave the Packers a compelling reason to prioritize his developmental upside over Taylor's proven veteran reliability, and the organization made that preference explicit. Fan reaction has been notably flat — no outrage, no mourning, just indifference — which may be the harshest verdict of all for a 26-year-old fourth-year quarterback who needed this stint to make a credible case for himself. The broader market signal is equally blunt: Green Bay's offseason activity has been forward-looking, adding Taylor behind Jordan Love while filling out the roster with new depth pieces, leaving no visible appetite to revisit Ridder's trajectory. At this stage, his narrative reads less like a player in a rough patch and more like one running out of legitimate opportunities to prove he belongs on an NFL roster in a meaningful capacity.