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When the\u00a0Green Bay Packers\u00a0traded a seventh-round pick to\u00a0acquire backup quarterback Malik Willis\u00a0from the\u00a0Tennessee Titans\u00a015 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.<\/p>\n
This year, Willis hasn\u2019t needed to play as much. However, the backup entered the\u00a0New York Giants game\u00a0when\u00a0Jordan 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 \u2014 the highest in the NFL this season.<\/p>\n
Now, Willis\u2019 performance creates a big-picture question. And no, he won\u2019t take the starting job over from Jordan Love. But he\u2019s such a valuable piece on the roster that a contract extension could be in play.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s marginal injury risk, so it doesn\u2019t make much sense for Willis to sign a contract extension before the new league year in March.<\/p>\n
By that point, the situation will be clearer. Maybe there\u2019s 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\u2019t have much to do.<\/p>\n
First, because the Packers can\u2019t 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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If Malik Willis doesn\u2019t get a starting opportunity, the Packers will be an automatic first option to sign a new deal. It\u2019s obvious how much the team values him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t say enough great things about Malik Willis,\u201d head coach Matt LaFleur said after the Giants game. \u201cHe\u2019s a great competitor. He\u2019s 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\u2019re a little bit concerned about that in that moment, just because you can\u2019t have anything happen to him. But he made a lot of plays in the game and obviously we don\u2019t win that game without him.\u201d<\/p>\n
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 \u2014 especially for someone who knows the system and the organization.<\/p>\n
Over the past few decades, the Packers haven\u2019t 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\u00a0Seattle Seahawks\u00a0back in 2012. Later, Green Bay traded Brett Hundley before the end of his rookie contract.<\/p>\n
So most of the time, the Packers have had players on their rookie deals or inexpensive veterans. If Malik Willis doesn\u2019t 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\u2019t work out. Right now, QB3 on the practice squad is Clayton Tune, more of a developmental type.<\/p>\n
And\u00a0without a first-round pick\u00a0in each of the next two years, it\u2019s harder to spend high draft capital to acquire a long-term backup.<\/p>\n
Malik Willis has been exactly what a team can hope for when a backup quarterback plays. Soon, though, it\u2019s going to be time to make a decision \u2014 and it won\u2019t be an easy one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When the\u00a0Green Bay Packers\u00a0traded a seventh-round pick to\u00a0acquire backup quarterback Malik Willis\u00a0from the\u00a0Tennessee Titans\u00a015 months ago, not even the most optimistic fan would imagine such a successful… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":37893,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-green-bay-packers"],"yoast_head":"\n