Malik Willis shines as a capable backup for the Green Bay Packers, but his limited starts create a high-stakes free agency gamble. Teams face a tough decision on his market value.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis can be anything as a free agent.
In Green Bay, under head coach Matt LaFleur, he's proven to be a quarterback worth being a starter somewhere in the league. He's been one of the best, if not the best, backup quarterbacks in the NFL over the past two seasons.
When his number has been called, he's been prepared.
Willis is 2-1 as a starter for the Packers. He went 2-0 in 2024 when Love went down early in the season with a knee injury. That included a win over his old team, the Tennessee Titans.
This past season, he came in against the Chicago Bears when Love went down with a concussion in Chicago. The Packers should have won that game. Willis played well enough. A botched onside kick return cost the Packers in that game, though.
A week later, Willis started against the Baltimore Ravens. He completed 18-of-21 passes for 288 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for two scores. He was brilliant. Unfortunately, the Packers gave up 216 yards and four touchdowns to Derrick Henry on the ground, and they lost, 41-24.
Willis has never been the problem for the Packers. In fact, he's been the solution when they needed answers.
The issue when evaluating him as a free agent target is that the body of work has been minimal. He's played in just 11 games over the past two seasons, starting just three.
According to Greg Auman of Fox Sports, who ranks Willis as the No. 9 free agent available this offseason, that's what makes Willis hard to figure out when it comes to how much money he should make on the open market.
"Willis, 26, may be the hardest free agent to ballpark in terms of how much money he'll get," Auman wrote. "There's an absolute lack of quality quarterbacks available, combined with a weak QB draft class, so teams without an obvious starter may overpay here. Willis has only six career starts, but his work in Green Bay has been promising — six touchdowns, zero interceptions over the last two years, with a 79% completion percentage."
The key for Willis is demand.
NFL free agency is like basic economics you learned in high school. It's all about supply and demand. The demand for high-end starting quarterbacks is high across the league. The supply is low, though. That's what makes Willis worth taking a shot on.
As far as who will take a shot on him, Auman seems to be drawing the connections that many are to Miami.
"Could he be a match for former Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, seeking a reasonably priced answer he can build around in Miami? You'll see him projected for a Justin Fields-type deal, like two years and $40 million," Auman wrote.
Aug 23, 2025; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis (2) during the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images.Willis made just $1.1 million in base salary last season with the Packers.
That will make $40 million over two years look really nice, even if it does mean that he'll be a "reasonably priced answer" for a team like Miami.
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