The stroke of genius by the Green Bay Packers to acquire quarterback Malik Willis from the Titans at the end of training camp last year may have saved their season. With Jordan Love's injury, Willis filled in beautifully. However, there was talk going into the draft that Willis could be moved in another trade as teams look to fill out their QB rooms. Even with the Packers not drafting a quarterback, that could still be on the table. But fans shouldn't worry that such a move would leave them staring down Sean Clifford as QB2.
On the surface, Green Bay not drafting a quarterback in this year's class might seem like a sign they're content keeping Willis. Perhaps they are. At the same time, with a weak draft class at the position overall and with several quarterback rooms still far from finished, that might only raise Willis' trade value higher — possibly to the point that the Packers would be sacrificing too much value to hold onto him.
What would scare Packers fans the most about that, though, is that Clifford would immediately elevate to QB2 on the depth chart if Willis were moved. The fifth-round pick from 2023 has been an eyesore, even just in preseason play, for Green Bay. At best, fans are skeptical of his upside and talent. At worst, no one's sure why he still has a spot on the practice squad or the roster.
However, fearing Clifford being the backup quarterback would be to ignore how Green Bay got in this position in the first place — and ignoring the fact that they could easily conceivably do that again.
Packers cashing in on Malik Willis trade value could lead to another QB move, not Sean Clifford
If the Packers were to trade Willis to cash in on his value, which may have never been higher, that wouldn't preclude them from making another move late similar to how they acquired Willis. Come roster cut time, especially this offseason, there could be other options that fit a similar mold but that Matt LaFleur and company could make a bet on as their backup again.
Perhaps the most ironic avenue would be to look to Tennessee again at Will Levis. While Levis has struggled, he is talented and has traits to entice a team like the Packers in a backup role. Furthermore, after the Titans drafted Cam Ward, it's not hard to imagine that they could cut ties with Levis.
The options aren't just limited to the Titans if you're Green Bay, however. The Browns have a quarterback logjam that the Packers could eye the castoffs from. Someone could be pushed out of the New York Giants room after adding Jaxson Dart. Could Quinn Ewers or a late-round rookie be available as well? The possibilities are numerous.
Of course, the biggest consideration for the Packers is whether or not getting extra draft capital for Willis and then banking on a new project backup would be worth it. That's largely tied to exactly how much they could get for Willis, but this does seem like when his value might be at his highest (or if a quarterback goes down due to injury in training camp). Whenever the timeline matches up, though, it's a good problem to have for Green Bay.
But the best news is that, no matter what the decision is with Willis, Packers fans can rest easy knowing that they almost definitively aren't going into the 2025 season with Clifford as the primary backup.