One of the things that Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst made sure he got absolutely right before the began was the backup quarterback position. Having signed Jordan Love to $55 million per year contract extension, the Packers have the starting job locked up for the foreseeable future. However, the backup quarterback job was far from certain.
During the offseason, Green Bay had had Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt competing for the job to backup Love. However, both players performed terribly in training camp and the preseason, making the front office terribly concerned about what the state of the team would be if Love got hurt.
As a result, Gutekunst sent a seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to the Tennessee Titans for Malik Willis.
The Green Bay Packers Absolutely Needed Malik Willis
The move ended up being a tremendous benefit for Green Bay, as Love did get injured in Week One and had to miss the next two games. With Willis under center, the Packers went 2-0. When Love went down again in Green Bay’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Willis stepped in and led the team to another victory.
On the season, Willis has completed 74.4% of his passes for 380 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 130.3 passer rating.
Unfortunately, the game of football is incredibly violent sport and injuries happen frequently. Multiple teams around the NFL have found themselves needing to play their backup quarterback after their starter went down with an injury. Very few have been as successful as Willis and the Packers.
Green Bay Packers’ Rival, the Minnesota Vikings, Signed Daniel Jones
One of the biggest stories in the NFL as of late has been the release of New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, who is making $40 million a year. The Giants granted Jones’ request for a release after he was relegated to the scouting team and placed behind former Packers quarterback Tim Boyle on their depth chart.
As a free agent, Jones wanted to join a team that was competitive and likely going to the NFL Playoffs. There were numerous teams interested in bring him in as a backup, and on Wednesday, Jones made his choice:
The #Vikings get a new backup for Sam Darnold, while Daniel Jones gets a chance to learn under one of the NFL’s top staffs for the next couple months.
He’ll be on the practice squad, giving flexibility and minimal investment for Minnesota while the #Giants pay him $11.8 million. pic.twitter.com/7OtLIEv6bv
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 27, 2024
Jones joins a 9-2 Vikings team that currently has Sam Darnold as their starting quarterback. He also gets to work with Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell, who is known for being able to develop quarterbacks.
Darnold is currently on a one-year contract and has played extremely well this this season. JJ McCarthy, whom Minnesota drafted in the first round to be their quarterback of the future, is out for the year with a torn ACL.
It is possible that Jones could remain with Minnesota in 2025 as a bridge quarterback until McCarthy is ready to take over.
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