No one batted an eye when the Tennessee Titans traded Malik Willis to the Green Bay Packers for a seventh-round pick before the 2024 season.
Draft experts saw Willis as a first-round prospect, but he fell to Tennessee in the third round. He only started three games for the Titans, but turned over a new leaf behind Jordan Love in Green Bay.
Willis immediately took advantage of his opportunity with the Packers. He took over as Green Bay’s starter when Love suffered an ankle injury in Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil.
In his two starts, Willis immediately looked significantly more comfortable commanding an NFL offense, going 2-0 while posting passer ratings of over 120. He then had to step in mid-game for a banged-up Love in Week 8 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He eventually led the Packers on a game-winning drive, highlighted by a beautiful floater down the field to Jayden Reed.
#Packers had to have this play. Beautifully executed by Malik Willis and Jayden Reed. pic.twitter.com/NmdNCsR8dH
— Lily Zhao (@LilySZhao) October 27, 2024
Last year, Willis had to face an improved Chicago Bears team on the road. Although Green Bay suffered a tough loss involving special teams and red-zone troubles, Willis played extremely well, completing over 80% of his passes with a 142.8 passer rating. He carried his elite play into the next week against the Baltimore Ravens, posting the best game of his young career with 348 total yards and three touchdowns.
With his time in Green Bay, Malik Willis threw for nine total touchdowns and zero interceptions. He also posted an 86.3 QBR, with a plus-seven completion percentage over expected in his two years with the Packers. He looked like a significantly improved quarterback from his short stint in Tennessee.
Willis will not return in 2026. Many teams need a reliable starting quarterback. So, where might he go — and, though they have no say in the matter, where would the Packers prefer him to land?
New York Jets
The Packers obviously wouldn’t want him to play for an NFC team, so we’ll look at four quarterback-needy teams in the AFC, starting with everybody’s favorite – the Jets.
New York is in an interesting spot. Veteran Tyrod Taylor remains on the roster, and the Jets had lackluster play from the likes of Taylor, Justin Fields, and Brady Cook this last season.
Considering 2026 is supposed to be a weak quarterback draft class, New York signing Willis would make a ton of sense. Willis will come in with a top-echelon receiver in Garrett Wilson and the possibility of a dynamic Breece Hall in the backfield.
Although the Packers play New York next season, they wouldn’t feel too threatened by Willis heading to a team with large roster holes and a 26-59 record over the last five seasons.
Cleveland Browns
Speaking of awful, the Browns may yet again need to address their signal-caller. Okay, technically, they fielded two Pro Bowlers at QB last year, but anyone watching knows Joe Flacco and Shedeur Sanders won’t lead the team to any meaningful wins.
Willis would step into a young offense, with Quinshon Judkins and Harold Fannin Jr. emerging as quality starters. He will have to carry a large load, though. All five starters on their offensive line are set to be free agents.
Pittsburgh Steelers
However, he could choose to sign with the Steelers. Pittsburgh will need a quarterback if Aaron Rodgers retires. Just two years ago, Justin Fields looked more than serviceable in the Steelers offense, leading fans to believe Willis could thrive.
Although a plethora of aging defenders are taking up much of Pittsburgh’s cap space, there is still room to sign Willis, assuming he commands roughly $30 million per year. The Steelers tend to use multi-tight-end sets, which fit Willis’s skill set by highlighting his run-option capabilities.
Miami Dolphins
Finally, we have the Dolphins, who just hired Jeff Hafley. We still don’t know whether Miami will move on from Tua Tagovailoa, because significant cap implications loom if they do. However, Hafley may be intrigued by Willis after coaching him last year.
Miami still has the explosive duo of Jaylen Waddle and De’Von Achane, and adding Willis would make their offense that much more potent. The Dolphins would thrive in the play-action game, and their backfield would continue to be dynamic with the Willis-Achane one-two punch.
After his service in Green Bay, fans and coaching staff alike will be satisfied with any AFC team acquiring Malik Willis. He now has the intangibles and confidence to lead an efficient, potent NFL offense.