The Tennessee Titans have traded quarterback Malik Willis to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for a 2025 seventh-round pick.
That’s… not a great return for a quarterback in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. However, the Titans seem to be fully committed to Will Levis, whom they drafted in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Willis’ fate should have been sealed back then. There was so much hype surrounding him before the 2022 NFL Draft, before he fell to the third round. While he never lived up to that hype, he never really got a fair chance either.
Willis only appeared in 11 games in two seasons for the Titans, who were stuck in a quarterback desert. They parted ways with Ryan Tannehill but never gave Willis the full confidence that Levis was given. The former Auburn Tiger started just three games in Nashville.
But for Willis, who performed well for the Titans last season, a new opportunity is on the horizon.
The Packers’ backup quarterback situation was dire, with Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt competing for the position of backup Jordan Love, who had already become the highest-paid player in NFL history before the preseason began.
The Packers are a quarterback factory. They went from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers. And then from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love. Willis won’t replace Love anytime soon, but both Packers quarterbacks are only 25 years old, have the same style of play and fit very well into Matt LaFleur’s offensive scheme.
This trade makes Green Bay more of a fun project than a viable backup. Ironically, all of the experienced backup quarterbacks except Tannehill are taken. If Clifford or Pratt were to get serious playing time, the Packers’ season would be lost.
If Willis had to play a significant number of snaps, the Packers would still be in dire straits. But it would at least be fun, and maybe they could get a lucky break with a promising talent who just hasn’t gotten a fair chance in the NFL.
Besides, you can’t blame the Titans here. It’s not like Willis has shown them much. In the 11 games he’s played? Zero touchdowns. Three interceptions. The NFL is a league that’s heavily based on results, and those results just aren’t those of a serviceable quarterback.
The Titans will start with Mason Rudolph as Levis’ replacement, which shows how much they believe in Levis this year.
But let’s not kid ourselves. The AFC is loaded. Quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and maybe even Aaron Rodgers will continue to dominate the playoff situation.
