Jordan Love was knocked out of Saturday's contest against the Chicago Bears with a concussion, but the Green Bay Packers still managed to take the game to overtime thanks to the play of backup quarterback Malik Willis, who was 9-for-11 for 121 yards and a touchdown and also added 10 carries for 44 yards on the ground. Viewed at one point as the best quarterback in a weak 2022 quarterback class, Willis dropped to the third round and had three rough starts as a rookie in Tennessee before the team drafted Will Levis the next offseason.
In 2024, Willis was traded to the Packers, where he instantly went from bust to high-quality backup. Now, Willis is set to enter free agency. He should be a relative bargain, but what team would have interest in the former Liberty star? Surely he's still young enough to want a starting spot somewhere. Where will that be? Here are five teams who should explore signing Malik Willis this offseason.
Miami Dolphins
Getting rid of Tua Tagovailoa's contract won't be easy, and whether Miami keeps him around or cuts bait, the salary cap situation won't be great in 2026. That means whoever his replacement is will need to be cheap.
That might just mean rolling with Quinn Ewers if these final three weeks go well for him, but what if it's quickly made apparent that Ewers isn't the guy?
Willis could be a lot of fun in a Mike McDaniel offense, assuming McDaniel returns as the Dolphins' head coach. Willis has a big arm and runs well, two things McDaniel could scheme around in a way that would instantly improve the Dolphins' offense.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Aaron Rodgers has done better than many expected, keeping the Steelers in the playoff race. If he decides he wants to play another season, it makes sense for Pittsburgh to bring him back.
However, I'd argue that for the betterment of the franchise, Pittsburgh should move on from Rodgers — retirement or not — if it can get someone who has better long-term upside for the franchise.
There are a few names that the team could kick the tires on, but Willis is the best of those. Sure, you could try to win now with a Joe Flacco or Jimmy Garoppolo, but neither is helping you beyond 2026. You could go for a young free agent in Trey Lance, but he might not help you in 2026. Willis would give the Steelers a chance to not only win now, but also to have their quarterback of the future. Willis is never going to be a top-10 guy in the NFL, but Pittsburgh can keep making playoff appearances under Mike Tomlin if he proves to be a top-20 guy.
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals are pretty clearly done with Kyler Murray, but are currently behind the Raiders, Browns and Jets in the draft order, three teams that could reasonably go after quarterbacks in a draft with three first-round options and then a huge fall-off after.
If one of those guys — most likely Alabama's Ty Simpson — falls to Arizona, then the Cardinals probably just need to take him, but if the team is left out in the cold, signing Malik Willis makes more sense long-term than just rolling with Jacoby Brissett for another season does. No offense meant to Brissett, who has done a great job leading this offense as Murray's replacement, but he's not the future of this team. Willis could be, which is what this deal would be about: adding a guy who theoretically could emerge as your long-term starter
Indianapolis Colts
These last two teams are in much different scenarios than the previous three. Both have quarterbacks — or, at least, should have quarterbacks, but could have need for a guy like Willis to help bridge until their guy is fully healthy.
The Colts looked like one of the NFL's best teams before Daniel Jones tore his Achilles. That injury likely kills his chance of getting the massive payday that he wanted this offseason, and a shrinking market for Jones makes it more likely that he returns to Indianapolis on a team-friendly deal.
If the Colts' best move is to bring Jones back, why mention Willis as an option? Two reasons. First, there's no guarantee that Jones is ready for Week 1. Willis could give the Colts a guy who can help them win games in the early part of the season as they wait for Jones to be back closer to 100 percent.
Second, even if Jones does come back by Week 1, there's no guarantee that he'll be good. Jones struggled for much of his NFL career before landing in Indianapolis this offseason and regression is very possible. Signing Willis gives them an option if Jones goes out there and struggles.
If you're Willis, this makes sense as well. You could get a longer deal on a bad team, but a one-year prove-it deal behind an injured quarterback with a roster around you that you can actually win with would do a ton to boost his 2027 free agency stock. The risk is that if Jones is healthy to start the season, Willis might have lost out on his best shot at finding a team to play for long-term.
Kansas City Chiefs
This is basically the Colts' option on steroids. Patrick Mahomes is the Chiefs' starting quarterback the moment he's healthy enough to return from his torn ACL, and unlike Indianapolis, there's no scenario where poor play could lead to a benching.
But if we reach free agency and there are even rumors of a setback in Mahomes' recovery, this becomes a top destination. Even if Willis signed here with the knowledge he was starting for a maximum of, like, four games, that's a four-game sample in an Andy Reid offense. Do you know how much that would raise his stature ahead of 2027 free agency?