Packers Must Replace Malik Willis; Here Are Eight Backup Quarterback Options

INDIANAPOLIS – A good fire extinguisher is a necessity. God forbid you have to use it but, when you break the glass in case of emergency, you expect it to put out the fire.

A backup quarterback is similar. God forbid you have to put him in the game but, when there’s an emergency, you expect winning results.

Malik Willis was the ultimate fire extinguisher for the Green Bay Packers.

In 2024, when Jordan Love was injured in Brazil in Week 1, the Packers took Willis out of the box. Having arrived just a few weeks earlier, he beat the Colts and Titans in his first two starts, then led the winning drive at Jacksonville.

In 2025, Willis led the Packers to a touchdown in his only series against the Giants, had the Packers ahead by 10 at Chicago and was a human-highlight reel in a loss to Baltimore.

With two seasons of excellent play, Willis is ready to move onto greener pastures – with “green” in this case being the color of money. Having resurrected his career, he has put himself in position to sign a big contract and be a starting quarterback.

In other words, the Packers will need a new fire extinguisher.

#Packers free agent QB Malik Willis is in demand, as expected, and interested teams I’ve spoken to at the Combine in Indianapolis believe him getting at least $30M per year is a foregone conclusion. pic.twitter.com/FzB8GaaNPw
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) February 25, 2026

“Any team that is potentially in a needy quarterback situation, if they tell you they’re not talking about Malik Willis, that would be a lie,” former Packers executive and new Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said at the Scouting Combine.

Packers Need New Backup

A game or two, obviously, can be the difference between winning the division or being a wild card or being a wild card and missing the playoffs. Love missed about two-and-a-half games due to injuries in 2024 and about one-and-three-quarters games in 2025. To say he’s an injury-prone quarterback would be a stretch, but he hasn’t exactly been Brett Favre, either. It’s a difficult position and things happen.

What wouldn’t be a stretch is to say that Willis was the difference between the Packers being No. 7 seeds in the playoffs in 2024 and 2025 and missing the postseason.

So, there will be big shoes to fill, with general manager Brian Gutekunst already setting up a backup battle.

On Dec. 31, he signed Desmond Ridder to the practice squad.

“Yeah, we didn’t have him for very long, but was very excited when he was with us,” Gutekunst said at the Scouting Combine on Tuesday. “Certainly, we’ve scouted him over a number of years. He brings some elements we would like in a backup quarterback. I think he’s got a little bit of upside.”

Ridder was a third-round pick in 2022 by the Falcons. He started 17 games with the Falcons (four in 2022, 13 in 2023) and one game with the Raiders in 2024. For his career, he’s completed 63.6 percent of his passes for 4,002 yards with 16 touchdowns, 14 interceptions and an 82.6 passer rating. At age 26 and with starting experience, he’s the early front-runner.

“I don’t think he’s hit his full potential yet, so I’m excited about that,” Gutekunst said. “But there’ll be competition in there, for sure.”

Part of that competition is Kyle McCord, who the Packers signed to a futures contract after the season.

“Obviously, spent some time at Ohio State, had a really good year at Syracuse his final year,” Gutekunst said. “We really liked his moxie and he won a bunch of games at both places. From the scouting process, always had an eye on him, and when he became available, we thought it made some sense.”

At Syracuse in 2024, he led the nation with an ACC-record 4,779 passing yards. He threw for at least 300 yards in 11 of 12 starts.

The Eagles drafted him in the sixth round last year but he failed to make the roster and landed on their practice squad.

“(He's a) really quick processor,” Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said. “The ball's coming out really quickly with anticipation and accuracy. You know, leading passer in the NCAA. You just go down his games this year, and it’s like 340, 380, 390. I mean, it’s unbelievable. He’s throwing the ball all over the field.”

Six Veteran Quarterback Options for Packers

Gutekunst said he “absolutely” would like to add more competition. If Gutekunst wants to add to the depth chart with a veteran, here are six possibilities.

Let’s Make a Deal

In 2024, the Packers gave up a seventh-round pick for Willis, who entered the league as a third-round pick in 2022 by the Titans. Tennessee made the trade to make way for Will Levis, the first pick of the second round of the 2023 draft. The Titans have given up on Levis and are looking to make a trade. He didn’t play in a game last season; in 2023 and 2024, he was 5-16 as a starter with an 82.7 passer rating.

The Colts have given Anthony Richardson, the fourth pick of the 2023 draft, permission to seek a trade. Willis changed the entire trajectory of his career with Green Bay. Could the Packers see some of Willis in the rocket-armed Richardson? He’s completed only 50.6 percent of his passes for his career. With 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, his passer rating is 67.8, but he’s averaged 5.5 yards per carry.

Experienced Backups in Free Agency

Marcus Mariota was the second overall pick of the 2015 draft by the Titans. In 2018 with Tennessee, Packers coach Matt LaFleur was his offensive coordinator. In 2025, he started eight games with the Commanders and went 2-6 with an 86.1 passer rating. He added 297 rushing yards.

Tyrod Taylor was a sixth-round pick by the Bills in 2011 and has 62 starts under his belt. In 2025, he went 1-3 as a starter for the woeful Jets. With five touchdowns and five interceptions, his passer rating was just 72.9; it was 89.1 when he started five games for the Giants in 2023.

Potential Reclamation Projects

Kenny Pickett was a first-round pick by the Steelers in 2022. He went 7-5 as a starter in each of his first two seasons with Pittsburgh before spending 2024 with the Eagles and 2025 with the Raiders, for whom he went 1-1 as a starter with a 60.2 passer rating.

Zach Wilson was the second overall pick of the 2022 draft by the Jets. He went 12-21 in three seasons as the starter, didn’t play in a game in 2024 and was 6-of-11 passing for the Dolphins in 2025. For his career, he’s thrown 23 touchdowns vs. 25 interceptions.

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