Packers Linked to 7th-Round QB as Malik Willis Replacement

ven before the 2025 season officially wrapped, it felt clear that Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis was as good as gone. General manager Brian Gutekunst more or less later admitted it.

“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.”

That doesn’t sound like a team preparing to match a bidding war.

Willis appeared in four games this past season, making one start and going 0-1. But his body of work over the last two years since being traded from the Tennessee Titans has quietly built his value.

In 2024, when Jordan Love went down, Willis stepped in and went 2-0 in his starts while appearing in seven games. Combined over two seasons, he’s thrown for 972 yards, six touchdowns, no interceptions and added 261 rushing yards with three more scores.

His development under head coach Matt LaFleur has been noticeable. Now, at 26 years old, Willis is positioned to be one of the more intriguing quarterback free agents on the market. Spotrac projects his market value at $35.5 million annually on at least a two-year deal.

Green Bay has already signaled it likely won’t match that.

Which means the Packers are officially in the market for a new QB2.

Packers Could Find Next Malik Willis In NFL Draft

Whether it’s through free agency, the draft or both, Green Bay has to find someone behind Jordan Love.

Right now, the only other quarterback on the roster is Desmond Ridder, who joined the team at the end of the regular season. Ridder has starting experience across three NFL seasons, but he’s bounced around enough to now carry journeyman status.

In his latest mock draft, The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman has the Packers addressing the backup spot — but not until late. With the No. 236 overall pick, he projects Green Bay selecting Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green.

“The Packers love drafting and developing quarterbacks — or at least trying to develop them,” Schneidman wrote. “It didn’t quite work out with the last two they drafted, Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt; hence why they traded for Malik Willis on the eve of the 2024 season. Willis, an unrestricted free agent, is as good as gone, which Gutekunst conceded last week, so the Packers need a new backup for Love.”

Clifford was a fifth-round pick (No. 149 overall) in 2023. Pratt followed in the seventh round (No. 245) the next year.

Neither stuck.

Taylen Green Fits Packers’ Development Mold

Green spent the past two seasons at Arkansas after transferring from Boise State. Across five college seasons, he threw for 9,662 yards, 59 touchdowns and 35 interceptions. He also ran for 2,405 yards and 35 touchdowns.

The appeal is obvious.

Green is a dual-threat quarterback — much like Willis — with the athletic ability to extend plays and keep an offense functional if called upon.

Willis proved invaluable when Love was sidelined, using his mobility and decision-making to keep Green Bay competitive.

If the Packers are looking to replicate that insurance policy without spending big money, Green makes sense as a developmental seventh-round swing.

And knowing LaFleur, he likely wouldn’t mind another quarterback project to mold.