The Green Bay Packers didn’t play on Sunday, which allowed fans to scout some upcoming opponents later in Week 2.
The Cincinnati Bengals’ 31-27 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars was a fun back-and-forth battle. Cincinnati eked out a win, but it was a pyrrhic victory. They lost star quarterback Joe Burrow for at least three months with what is being called a major turf toe injury.
It’s a huge blow for a team that improved to 2-0 with the win. The Bengals missed the playoffs with a 9-8 record last season but entered 2025 as one of the AFC’s Super Bowl hopefuls.
So what is Cincinnati’s plan without Burrow?
Well, that apparently included a phone call to Brian Gutekunst.
Backup quarterback Jake Browning played well in Burrow’s place on Sunday, going 21 for 32 for 241 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. After a rough start with a few ugly picks, he settled down and helped engineer a comeback victory, including a flying third-and-one quarterback sneak on the 15th play of a drive that gave Cincinnati its first lead of the day with 18 seconds left.
Browning is no stranger to stepping in for Burrow. During his rookie season in 2023, he appeared in nine games when Burrow missed most of the year with a torn ligament in his throwing wrist. He kept the Bengals in playoff contention until the final weeks.
Still, it appears the Bengals are doing their due diligence in the free-agent and trade markets, searching for either an upgrade or at least competent competition for Browning. That search reportedly included a phone call to the Packers inquiring about backup Malik Willis.
According to Packers reporter Easton Butler, Cincinnati contacted Gutekunst to gauge his interest in parting with his second-year quarterback. That may have been one of the shortest phone calls of Gutekunst’s life — and if it wasn’t, it should have been: Thanks, but no thanks.
Trading Willis has been a hot topic all offseason, with fans and media alike debating whether the Packers should “sell high” on the impending free agent. After a strong 2024 season in which he won two starts and helped secure another victory off the bench, Willis is likely to seek a starting job next offseason.
It’s unlikely he would return to Green Bay just to back up Jordan Love for another year. Still, I’ve never been a fan of the idea of trading him. Willis proved far too valuable to this team to move for a mid- to late-round draft pick.
Love has yet to prove that he can stay consistently healthy. After a spotless 2023, he battled injuries last season and hurt his thumb before the start of this one. Still, it hasn’t slowed him down. The Packers have dominated on both sides of the ball en route to a 2–0 start.
Still, thumb injuries can be tricky. All it takes is one hard hit against a defender’s helmet for the issue to flare up again. You never want to predict injuries. However, having a backup you trust, who has already shown he can step in and win, is invaluable in today’s NFL.
After two weeks, this Packers team appears to be a bona fide contender. If you trade away Willis and, heaven forbid, something happens to Love, the only other quarterback on the roster is third-year man Clayton Tune.
Tune, the Arizona Cardinals’ fifth-round pick in 2023, is a talented player with one career start. He could be the backup of the future, but the Packers should not be comfortable putting him one snap away from meaningful action.
The Cardinals cut him after just two seasons, and he requires further development. A full season learning behind Love and Willis under Matt LaFleur would put him in a better position to take over next year. Interestingly, the Packers worked out former Cleveland Browns draft pick Dorian Thompson-Robinson on Monday.
The timing is curious, though it could just be a coincidence. Perhaps Green Bay is updating its rolodex of available arms in case of injury, or perhaps it’s preparing for the possibility of trading Willis. Thompson-Robinson was a 2023 fifth-round pick by Cleveland, the same year Tune entered the league.
Thompson-Robinson started five games for the Browns between 2023 and 2024, going 1-4 while throwing one touchdown and ten interceptions. Cleveland traded him to the Philadelphia Eagles for Kenny Pickett, but he failed to make Philadelphia’s roster out of camp. He’s hardly an inspiring option.
Maybe the Bengals make an offer Gutekunst can’t refuse — like a second-round pick. Anything less, though, should be an immediate no.
Some fans might be tempted to deal Willis for a third- or fourth-rounder to recoup some of the draft capital spent on recent additions like Micah Parsons and Darian Kinnard. However, the Packers could be in line for a healthy haul of compensatory picks in 2027, with a long list of pending free agents including Romeo Doubs, Rasheed Walker, Sean Rhyan, and Willis. Two or three extra picks could be coming from those departures, helping replenish the draft cupboard.
So, if Brian Gutekunst wants my opinion: hang onto Malik Willis. You never know when you’ll need a quality backup to come in. Just ask the Bengals.
