Jon Gurden once asked Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Tom Moore why the team doesn’t give more practice snaps to Peyton Manning’s backups. He replied, “Fellas, if 18 goes down, we are screwed—and we don’t practice screwed.” That’s the feeling across a lot of teams in the National Football League. Backup quarterback might be the second most important position on the roster, right behind the starter. Imagine you have a Super Bowl–caliber roster and your starting quarterback goes down. All hope is lost and it’s better luck next year—unless you’re a team that values the backup quarterback position and uncovers every avenue to find a capable one. That’s where this current Green Bay Packers roster finds itself.

Malik Willis, since becoming a Green Bay Packer at the end of cutdowns in 2024 via trade with the Titans, has done absolutely everything asked of him and then some. If we didn’t already know it by his play last year in substitution for an injured Jordan Love, then this past Saturday was the final proof. He might be the most valuable backup quarterback in all of football, and unfortunately for the Packers, he has almost certainly played his way out of town.

On Saturday, once Jordan Love left the game with a concussion and Willis entered, I had the feeling all of the momentum had shifted over to Chicago. Nothing against Malik—he’s done everything asked of him and then some—but the Bears were playing the most important game at Soldier Field in years against their most hated rival in prime time. When a backup quarterback is suddenly under center, you know the opposing team is smelling blood. The issue is this isn’t a normal backup quarterback. In the two appearances this year subbing in for an injured Love, Willis is completing 85% of his passes with three touchdowns, no interceptions, and is sporting a 146.1 passer rating.

He fits the offense perfectly. With his combination of size, speed, and arm strength, head coach Matt LaFleur doesn’t have to change or alter his offensive game plan nearly as much as many head coaches do when a backup enters the game. If anything, one might argue it only opens up his playbook with more possibilities, seeing as Willis is a dangerous option with his legs.

The botched snap notwithstanding, the Packers likely should be 5–0 when Willis is playing meaningful snaps. The two wins against Indianapolis and Tennessee came in last season’s Weeks 2 and 3, when he had been in town for just a few days. He replaced Jordan Love after Love pulled his groin against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He didn’t light the world on fire in that game, but he did go 4 of 5 for 56 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for 23 yards on four attempts and driving the team down for the game-winning field goal at the buzzer. The 2024 Packers don’t make the playoffs without Willis.

This season, while he hasn’t had as much of an impact thanks to Love being able to stay on the field at a higher rate, he did come in mid-drive and throw a dot to Christian Watson for a touchdown on the road against a pesky New York Giants defense. In a game that came down to the final plays, do the Packers win that game if Willis comes in and flops? Could you picture their playoff chances if they dropped that game in New York?

Then came Saturday—the biggest game of the year with the NFC North on the line—and Willis walked into the game like he’d been the starter all season. He went 9-for-11 for 121 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 44 yards on 10 carries. Nothing mind-blowing—you’re not going to get elected to the Pro Bowl with those numbers (Tyler Huntley?)—but if you put your team in a position to win the game, which he did, that’s all you can ever ask of your backup. Especially considering the amount of reps he gets during the week.

Last week, while preparing for Caleb Williams and the Bears, Willis barely took any snaps with the first-team offense, instead playing Williams on the scout team to help prep the defense.

“It’s a tough deal,” LaFleur said of Willis preparing each week. “A lot of it is on the individual, just making sure you’re studying the plays.”

The Packers are going to face an interesting decision this offseason when it comes to Malik Willis. There’s almost no doubt they would want him back—why wouldn’t they? The issue is there are certainly going to be plenty of other teams with more cap space and a better opportunity to start that will also want his services. As of right now, the team’s projected salary cap is going to be tight. There are some moves that will of course be made, such as restructures, extensions, and releases (“cough Rashan Gary cough”) that will free up space, but there is only so much a team can allocate to a backup quarterback when they are paying Jordan Love $220 million.

There could be a world where the Packers offer Willis one of the highest salaries for a backup—say around $8–10 million on a two-year deal—but if his desire is to be a starter, there are certainly going to be better options out there for him that the Packers can't match. The good news is they should pick up a comp pick for him in 2027 though. 

Based on his play and his ability to fit into a system as popular and well-run as Matt LaFleur’s, Miami would be the perfect spot for Willis. The two best fits I see right now are Miami and Pittsburgh. Reports have it that the Dolphins are going to cut ties with Tua Tagovailoa this offseason, and they don’t have anyone waiting in the wings on that roster. Currently holding the 10th pick and with a depleted roster, they might be better off trading that pick for more selections and rolling with Willis. I’m sure Mike McDaniel could develop a strong game plan around him, and he will need to win to save his job.

What about replacing Rodgers in Pittsburgh if he retires? That team loves to run the football, and Willis is a read-option nightmare for defenses.

The reality is Willis has played too well to be a backup in Green Bay in 2026. He will almost certainly get a better deal and a real chance at starting elsewhere, so we should enjoy him while he’s here. The Packers are likely looking at a training camp competition between Clayton Tune and a draft pick for the right to be Jordan Love’s backup next season and beyond and Willis’s name will be added to the long list of backups in Green Bay who go on and be starters elsewhere.