Just before the 2024 regular season kicked off, the Green Bay Packers made a quietly savvy move that didn’t make many headlines at the time: they traded a seventh-round pick to the Tennessee Titans for quarterback Malik Willis. Fast forward a few months, and that low-risk gamble turned into a pretty valuable insurance policy.
When Jordan Love suffered an MCL sprain during the Packers’ Week 1 opener in Brazil against the Eagles, it could’ve spelled early trouble for Green Bay. Instead, Willis stepped in and made the most of his opportunity.
Over the next two weeks, he led the Packers to back-to-back wins over the Colts and his former team, the Titans. And he didn’t just manage the game-he made plays.
Willis completed nearly 76 percent of his passes over those two starts, throwing for 324 yards and two touchdowns without turning the ball over. Add in another 114 yards and a touchdown on the ground-at a clip of 9.5 yards per carry-and you’ve got a dual-threat quarterback who looked confident, composed, and fully capable of running the offense.
Later in the season, with Love sidelined again-this time due to a concussion-Willis got another shot to start, this time in Week 17 against the Ravens. The Packers didn’t come away with the win, but Willis turned in arguably the best performance of his young career.
He completed 18 of 21 passes for a career-high 288 yards and a touchdown, and added 60 yards and two scores on the ground. That kind of efficiency and explosiveness is hard to ignore, especially for a quarterback who’s still only 26 and entering free agency.
Now, with the offseason underway, the writing’s on the wall: Malik Willis is likely headed elsewhere. Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst didn’t sugarcoat it when he met with the media on Wednesday.
“We’d love to have Malik back,” Gutekunst said. “But at the same time, to be realistic, I think he’s going to have a lot of opportunities to play more than he would here, so we’ll see where that goes.”
Translation: Willis is expected to test the market-and probably won’t be back in Green Bay.
It’s a bittersweet situation for the Packers. They found value in a player who helped stabilize the team when injuries hit, but they also know he’s earned the chance to compete for a starting job, something that’s just not going to happen with Jordan Love entrenched as QB1. And with Gutekunst, head coach Matt LaFleur, and executive VP Russ Ball all freshly signed to multi-year extensions, the front office is clearly focused on continuity around Love moving forward.
As for Willis, he’ll likely have no shortage of suitors once free agency opens. Teams like the Dolphins, Jets, Cardinals, Raiders, and maybe even the Steelers could be in the mix-franchises either looking for competition at quarterback or a fresh option to develop. Willis won’t be the most high-profile name on the market, but he’s shown enough in limited action to intrigue teams looking for upside at the game’s most important position.
Bottom line: Green Bay took a flier on a talented young quarterback, and it paid off. Now, Malik Willis is poised to take the next step in his NFL journey-just not in a Packers uniform.