Malik Willis, Who Will Start vs. Ravens, Rescued Packers From Backup Hell

The Green Bay Packers are running with a familiar phrase in NFL circles. Jordan Love is not going to play on Saturday night against the Baltimore Ravens due to a concussion he suffered in the team’s 22-16 loss to the Chicago Bears.

Whenever a player gets injured, the phrase on the tip of everyone’s tongue is, “Next man up.”

The problem, especially at the quarterback position, is that the next man up is not nearly as capable as the starter. In fact, it more often resembles a famous line by former Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Tom Moore.

“If 18 (Peyton Manning) goes down, we’re f****d, and we don’t practice f****d.”

When the Packers had Aaron Rodgers under center, their backup quarterback situation was largely ignored. The results typically reflected that. When Rodgers went down, they were usually, well, Moore said it best.

Rodgers missed significant time in two seasons with the Packers. In 2013, he suffered a broken collarbone during the opening series against the Bears. The Packers lost that night with Seneca Wallace as the next man up. The Packers, the franchise known for its quarterback stability, would start three quarterbacks in seven games without Rodgers.

Including the game against Chicago, Green Bay went 2-5-1 with Wallace, Scott Tolzien and Matt Flynn.

The 2017 season was similar. Rodgers broke his collarbone against the Vikings. The Packers played nine games without Rodgers and went 3-6.

Love started one game in 2021 when Rodgers missed a game with COVID, and the Packers lost at the Kansas City Chiefs.

Added together, the Packers were 5-12-1 without Rodgers.

The backup quarterback situation once they transitioned to Love as the starting quarterback didn’t look all that different. Sean Clifford was the backup in Love’s first season and played only 13 run-out-the-clock snaps.

Clifford was asked to compete for the job in 2024 with Michael Pratt. Both quarterbacks played poorly that preseason, and general manager Brian Gutekunst was forced to act. He struck gold when he sent a seventh-round pick to the Titans for Malik Willis at the end of training camp.

A third-round pick in 2022, Willis was run out of Tennessee after two poor seasons. Based on what was required for trade compensation, he was clinging to his NFL life. Had the Packers not traded for him, the Titans may have released him and Willis easily could have ended up on a practice squad. Who knows what could have happened from there.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis (2) runs against the Tennessee Titans during their game in 2024. | Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Fast forward to Saturday. Willis will start, and the Packers have complete faith in him.

“Yeah, I think he’s done a hell of a job, man,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “I think it’s all about his approach, how he came in here, how open he was to being coached. We were pretty hard on him and his footwork, and he’s done an outstanding job. I feel like the more he plays, the better he’s gotten. It’s great to have a guy like him you have so much confidence in.”

Willis’ career resurrection has been quite a story, though it might have felt more like a nightmare at the time.

Willis was acquired on Aug. 26, 2024. Just 19 days after the trade, he was asked to start and win a pivotal game for his new team on Sept. 15, 2024.

Destined for disaster, right?

Not really. Willis was not asked to do much, but he was unflappable, throwing a touchdown pass to give the Packers a lead and throwing a game-clinching pass to Romeo Doubs in the fourth quarter to help the Packers beat the Colts 16-10. A week later, he led the Packers to a 30-14 blowout win over his former team.

Willis has come a long way. The Packers look at him as someone who can run their entire offense as soon as he steps on the field. That’s the ultimate vote of confidence from a coach to a backup quarterback.

“I mean, there’s nothing like somebody believing in you, but it starts with yourself,” Willis said on Tuesday.

“What are you doing that prepares you when you get the opportunity to put something on tape, because that’s what this league is about (is) being able to put good stuff on tape, and somebody will take a chance then. But if you don’t have anything good on tape, nobody’s willing to be behind you. So, it’s awesome that Matt feels that, you know what I mean?”

The stakes for Saturday night’s game against the Ravens is simple. They need to win to keep their hopes alive for getting a better seed in the NFC playoffs and to stay in contention for the NFC North title.

For Willis, it’s an opportunity to earn a lot of money. Saturday’s game likely will be Willis’ last extended appearance in a game that matters before he hits free agency in March.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis (2) runs the ball against the Chicago Bears last week. | Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Given how he’s played, it seems reasonable to believe Willis will get an offer too good to resist in terms of playing time and money.

With Love entrenched as the team’s starter, the Packers can’t offer Willis a path to starting. With the big salaries of Love, Micah Parsons and others, and given the going rate for solid quarterback play, the Packers probably can’t afford to keep him, either.

Playing well on national television against an organization as respected as the Ravens could take Willis’ career from the outhouse to the penthouse.

Again, Willis was nearly out of the league when the Packers traded for him. Now, he could be one of the most sought-after free agents if he hits the open market. He’ll have plenty of glowing recommendations from his current teammates in Green Bay.

“I think it just kind of attributes to him as a player,” receiver Christian Watson said of Willis’ success. “I think that he’s just a good quarterback. He approaches every single day like he’s the starter.

“I think that’s kind of just his mentality and when he gets his opportunity, it definitely shows. He works the same each and every day. We get reps with him each and every day, too, regardless of him being the second guy. So, I think it all just comes down to who he is as a player, his mentality when it comes to him getting opportunities. He’s been great for us.”

If anyone thinks that’s just a receiver potentially clamoring for more targets, safety Xavier McKinney also had a glowing review of him.

“Hey, man, I’ve been seeing him do that since high school,” McKinney said of his former Roswell (Ga.) High School teammate. “So, the things that you know he does, like, I literally have been seeing it since high school. So, I’m never surprised. It never catches me off-guard. When I see him out there and make a play, I’m like, ‘OK, he been doing that.’

“But it’s good to see him get these opportunities. Obviously, it’s not in a way that you would want, but it’s like, ‘Damn, I’m glad he getting this opportunity, and making the most of this opportunity.’ And I always tell him, like, ‘It’s going to pay off.’ And he knows that, so he’ll do that – work hard. He had great dude. So s**, we all love to see it.”

Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis (2) throws a pass against the Chicago Bears last week. | Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

Players and coaches, almost everyone to a man speaks so highly of the backup quarterback, and his play has backed it up on the field.

“It’s been really cool watching that and I’m really happy for him,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said. “Just like any player who goes through that adversity and has a chip on their shoulder when they go to a new team and has been given the opportunity to go out there and perform and come through.

“Every time we’ve needed him, he’s come through and done a nice job and given us a chance to win every game that he’s been in. We’ll see what the future holds for him, but I think he’s really helped himself out, for sure, with what he’s done the last two years here.”

Willis will be making his third start with the Packers. They won the first two. Plus, he played well in an extended appearance last year against the Jaguars and led the Packers to a win there, too.

His other two extended stints came in the season finale last year and last week, both against Chicago. The Packers did not win those games, but Willis put them in position to do so had the defense and special teams not suffered significant gaffes in both games.

A team that was 5-12-1 without Rodgers was mere minutes away from being 5-0 whenever Willis has had to play.

That’s a long way away from being, to quote the Colts’ Moore, f****d.

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