The Green Bay Packers, as of Friday morning, do not yet have a contract extension in my place with head coach Matt LaFleur despite a week-long negotiation. As it currently stands, reports state that the two sides have progressed to a point where it will be surprising if LaFleur does not return as Green Bay’s head coach, but nothing has been agreed upon as of yet.
Of course, this is the most pressing matter at hand for the Packers organization, as they need to determine who will be coaching their team in 2026 and beyond. That being said, there are many more questions, both on the coaching staff and roster, that need to be answered this offseason.
One of these is determining who will be the backup quarterback for Jordan Love.
Green Bay Packers backup quarterback Malik Willis is hitting free agency
The reason why the Packers will need a new backup quarterback for Love is because his current back, Malik Willis, is going to be an unrestricted free agent. Due to how well he played in Green Bay in his minimal opportunities, he is expected to get an opportunity to earn a starting job somewhere else next season.
Currently, Spotrac has his market value in free agency set at $10.6 million a year. The Packers simply are not going to pay that much money for a backup quarterback, nor should they.
Willis has earned the attention he will get on the free agent market by being one of the best, if not the very best, backup in the NFL over the last couple of years. Since arriving in Green Bay via trade prior to the 2024 NFL season, he has a 78.7% completion percentage, 972 passing yards, six touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 134.6 passer rating.
Trey Lance named as a possible backup quarterback for the Green Bay Packers
Prior to acquiring Willis from the Tennessee Titans for a seventh round draft pick, the Packers tried letting Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt compete for the role during the 2024 preseason. Unfortunately, neither performed well and both were eventually released.
Now that Willis is leaving, Green Bay needs to find someone to replace him. Desmond Ridder is currently on the roster, but also is not under contract for next season either.
Of course, the Packers could draft a quarterback in the later round of the 2026 NFL Draft and hope he works out. However, if they wanted to sign a veteran, one that would be a possible fit, according to Bleacher Report, is former third overall pick Trey Lance:
“Expect quarterbacks like Trey Lance and Gardner Minshew to interest the Packers as Love’s next understudy.”
Lance, who was taken by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2021 NFL Draft, has never lived up to the hype that surrounded him coming out of college. This past season with the Los Angeles Chargers, he had a 47.4% completion percentage, 226 passing yards, no touchdowns, and an interception in four games.
For his career, he a passer rating of 80.6.
All this being said, prior to coming to Green Bay, Willis had a passer rating of 49.4 and has benefited greatly from the tutelage of LaFleur and the Packers’ coaching staff.
Perhaps they could turn Lance around as well.
More Green Bay Packers news from Wisconsin Sports Heroics
- Ex-Packers rival thinks Malik Willis is about to make a fortune after controversial QB decision
- Packers star linked to blockbuster trade to recoup draft capital
- Packers’ Jeff Hafley was linked to top NFC head coaching opening
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