When the Green Bay Packers traded a seventh-round pick to acquire backup quarterback Malik Willis from the Tennessee Titans 15 months ago, not even the most optimistic fan would imagine such a successful outcome. Not only did Willis have to play, he performed well right away and helped the team secure big wins in 2024.

This year, Willis hasn’t needed to play as much. However, the backup entered the New York Giants game when Jordan Love hurt his shoulder. Willis finished the drive, made some good plays running the ball, and threw a touchdown pass to Christian Watson. Love was able to get back, but Willis finished his small sample action with a 118.8 passer rating — the highest in the NFL this season.

Now, Willis’ performance creates a big-picture question. And no, he won’t take the starting job over from Jordan Love. But he’s such a valuable piece on the roster that a contract extension could be in play.

The market will dictate Malik Willis’ future

Drafted in 2022, Malik Willis is in the final year of his rookie deal. He is slated to be an unrestricted free agent. Being a backup, there’s marginal injury risk, so it doesn’t make much sense for Willis to sign a contract extension before the new league year in March.

By that point, the situation will be clearer. Maybe there’s a team willing to make Malik Willis the next NFL reclamation project. If he gets an opportunity to start or at least to compete for a starting job, the Packers won’t have much to do.

First, because the Packers can’t offer a real starting opportunity. Second, because those who can will be willing to pay him more money. Those mid-level/bridge quarterback contracts include Justin Fields ($20 million a year), Daniel Jones ($14 million), Aaron Rodgers ($13.65 million), and Russell Wilson ($10.5 million). It’s reasonable to think that a team might go that far considering what Willis has put on the tape over the past two years, in spite of the rough stint with the Titans.

After all, Geno Smith, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, and Daniel Jones are all proof that a reclamation project can actually work out in the NFL if a player had a bad situation to start his career.

Backup money

If Malik Willis doesn’t get a starting opportunity, the Packers will be an automatic first option to sign a new deal. It’s obvious how much the team values him.

“I can’t say enough great things about Malik Willis,” head coach Matt LaFleur said after the Giants game. “He’s a great competitor. He’s so calm. I mean, he was in there in some critical situations. We had some through downs. We called the zone read and he uses his legs, which it was kind of, when your starting quarterback is out and then you have your backup in there and you call the zone read, you’re a little bit concerned about that in that moment, just because you can’t have anything happen to him. But he made a lot of plays in the game and obviously we don’t win that game without him.”

Even though the Packers have a relatively tight cap situation and are already paying Jordan Love $55 million a year, spending on a high-level backup would make sense — especially for someone who knows the system and the organization.

Over the past few decades, the Packers haven’t been willing to spend much money with backup quarterbacks. Matt Flynn was probably the one in position to be that guy, but he signed a mid-level free agent deal with the Seattle Seahawks back in 2012. Later, Green Bay traded Brett Hundley before the end of his rookie contract.

So most of the time, the Packers have had players on their rookie deals or inexpensive veterans. If Malik Willis doesn’t re-sign, though, Green Bay will have to find a new capable backup. And the past two draft attempts, Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt, didn’t work out. Right now, QB3 on the practice squad is Clayton Tune, more of a developmental type.

And without a first-round pick in each of the next two years, it’s harder to spend high draft capital to acquire a long-term backup.

Malik Willis has been exactly what a team can hope for when a backup quarterback plays. Soon, though, it’s going to be time to make a decision — and it won’t be an easy one.