The Green Bay Packers are going to have a new backup quarterback in 2026. Over the past two seasons, Malik Willis has served in that role after Green Bay acquired him in a last-minute pre-season trade with the Tennessee Titans. All the Packers had to give up for Willis was a seventh round pick.
And in return, they got arguably the best backup quarterback in the NFL (Mac Jones certainly has a case as well). In two seasons with Green Bay, Willis had a 78.7% completion percentage, 972 passing yards, six touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 134.6.
Willis’ performance in relief of Love in 2024 and 2025 have made him one of the most intriguing names on the upcoming free agent market. While nothing in free agency is certain, one thing is for sure: he certainly priced himself out of Green Bay. But the big question is if whatever team signs him will get a repeat performance.
NFL analyst has word of caution for teams interested in Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis
Dec 20, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis (2) runs for a gain against the Chicago Bears during their football game at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Dan Powers
Prior to coming to Green Bay, Willis had all but washed out in Tennessee. After being selected in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, he had a 53.0% completion percentage, 350 passing yards, no touchdowns, three interceptions, and a 49.4 passer rating in two seasons with them.
Despite his much-improved level of production with the Packers, NFL analyst Bill Barnwell lists Willis as just a backup/borderline starter in his tier rankings of NFL free agents. What is more, he is not sure if whatever team signs Willis will enjoy the same level of production Green Bay was able to get out of him:
“Someone’s going to take the plunge on Willis, who was virtually unplayable before looking eminently comfortable in three spot starts for aninjuredJordan Loveover the past two seasons.
“Willis has averaged a whopping 10.9 yards per pass attempt and 6.2 yards per rush in Green Bay, comfortably shouldering a meaningful role in the offense even while taking over midgame, as he didagainst the Bearslate last season.
“Is he a Matt LaFleur creation? That’s too simplistic of an argument for me. LaFleur did an excellent job of building both quarterback run staples and play-action concepts off those ideas for his young quarterback, but Willis had to execute those plays at a high level, too. (We’re long past the point where simply introducing those plays is going to flummox professional defenses.)
“By leaving the Packers, Willis enters an uncertain world where his new team might not have a clue. The logical thing would be for that offense to install the same concepts that worked for Willis elsewhere and go from there, but, well, this isn’t always a rational league.”
There is, obviously, a belief that it was the offensive scheme and coaching of Matt LaFleur had a great deal to do with Willis’ rapid career turnaround. As Barnwell notes, no one in the NFL will know just how much of an extent it had until Willis is on a different team.
Furthermore, whatever team signs him would probably do well to incorporate some of the RPO’s and schemed quarterback runs that LaFleur did when he had Willis on the field. The threat that he could take off at any time kept defenses honest and allowed for more passes downfield.
But as Barnwell notes, not every team is going to realize that that is something they should do if they sign Willis. And if they do not, and he struggles, it could go down as a very bad signing.
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