The 2022 draft produced nine quarterbacks. Only one, the last player taken of all, has become a consistent starter and potential franchise quarterback.
There’s another quarterback other than Brock Purdy who has, in far more limited opportunities, shown that he can perhaps become a consistent QB1, somewhere.
Packers quarterback Malik Willis, who’ll start an important Saturday night game against the Ravens, played well in Week 16, after Jordan Love left with a concussion caused by an illegal hit. Willis completed nine of 11 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown. He added 44 rushing yards on 10 attempts.
And while the 16-6 lead he helped build melted into a 22-16 overtime loss, Willis played well. As he did in 2024, when he won two starts after Love suffered a knee injury near the end of a Week 1 loss to the Eagles. In seven total appearances last year, Willis completed 74.1 percent of his passes, with an average gain per attempt of 10.2 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 124.8. Willis also gained 138 rushing yards on 20 carries.
Not bad for a guy who fell to round three, taken after Kenny Pickett and Desmond Ridder. Willis had three starts as a rookie, with two losses and unimpressive passing numbers (50.8 completion percentage, no touchdowns, three interceptions, 4.5 yards per attempt, passer rating of 42.8). He played very sparingly in 2023, with Ryan Tannehill and Will Levis splitting the 17 regular-season starts.
The odd man out behind Mason Rudolph and Levis in 2024, the Titans offloaded Willis in late August for a seventh-round pick.
Now, after two years with the Packers, Willis is two regular-season games (plus the extent of Green Bay’s postseason) from a shot at the open market. The Packers would surely love to keep him around as Love’s understudy. How can other teams not be taking a serious look at him as a guy who can at least compete for a starting job?
Wherever it goes from here, Willis is in line for a significant bump over his $1.1 million salary in 2025. And he’ll get another shot, in prime time, to add even more to his looming payday for 2025.
In an offseason that won’t have many capable free-agent quarterbacks with starting experience, Willis could be the most intriguing. He can add even more intrigue to the coming quarterback carousel on Saturday night.
