The spotlight will be on Jordan Love as he begins his third season as the Green Bay Packers’ starting quarterback, but he’s not the only quarterback worth watching this offseason.

Malik Willis was a surprising last-minute addition to the Packers last offseason. Just weeks after the former Tennessee Titans starter joined the roster, he saw immediate action in relief of Love, starting in Weeks 2 and 3.

Willis didn’t make much of an impact in Tennessee, but Matt LaFleur had Willis playing his best ball after just a few weeks. Willis’ early-season victories kept the Packers afloat until Love was cleared for action.

Now, Willis has been in Green Bay for a full year and can show his grasp of the playbook and comfort with the offense in training camp and the preseason. Willis’s growth will be fascinating to follow and could highlight another success for LaFleur and his coaching staff.

Neither Sean Clifford nor Michael Pratt handily won the backup QB contest last offseason, so Brian Gutekunst opted for a reclamation project in Willis instead. After two seasons with the Titans, Willis looked better as a runner than a passer. However, he took an encouraging step forward in his third preseason.

Content to begin the Will Levis era, the Titans traded Willis to Green Bay immediately before final roster cuts.

LaFleur did what the Titans couldn’t and put Willis in a position to succeed.

In his first start against the Indianapolis Colts, LaFleur took advantage of a porous Colts run defense by pounding the ball with Josh Jacobs and not asking too much from his newly acquired backup quarterback. Still, even though he wasn’t the focal point, Willis was efficient with 12 of 14 completed passes for 122 yards and a TD while adding 41 rushing yards.

The following week against his old team, Willis played a bigger role in the dominant victory, completing 13 of his 19 pass attempts for 202 yards and a touchdown along with 73 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.

Love returned for Week 4, but his lingering injury caused him to occasionally exit games early, giving Willis more opportunities. Willis scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter against Jacksonville in Week 4 and completed a season-long 51-yard pass to set up the game-winning field goal. He also saw significant playing time in the regular season finale, although the game ended in a loss.

In 2024, Willis transitioned from a gamble to a reliable backup quarterback who helped keep Green Bay in postseason contention. Matt LaFleur demonstrated ingenuity by devising distinct game plans for Willis that differed from his usual approach for Love, including introducing more creativity in the run game that would pay off throughout the season.

LaFleur wisely gave Willis a manageable workload when he was new to the team and provided him with opportunities to loosen up more frequently as he became accustomed to the playbook.

Willis wasn’t just a game manager during his stints on the field. He was a key component of those victories.

Heading into 2025, Sports Illustrated named Willis their ninth-ranked backup quarterback, highlighting his growth, while also naming LaFleur and running back Josh Jacobs as key components to Willis’ success.

There was nothing special about Willis’s two starts with the Packers last season, but he showed strong command of the offense and did enough to win both games while Jordan Love recovered from a knee injury. … Also, Willis gets a bump for these rankings because he has the benefit of playing with Josh Jacobs and receiving play calls from coach Matt LaFleur.

Willis will have the opportunity to demonstrate what he has learned and prove his own merits in the coming months.

Matt LaFleur doesn’t have a strong history of playing his starters extensively during the preseason, and Love is coming off a major injury that limited him for the entire 2022 season. The chances are good we’ll see a lot of Willis in the preseason.

LaFleur probably won’t go too deep in his playbook during the preseason. The Packers hate having anyone outside of the building knowing what they’re up to, so we probably won’t see a ton of real creativity with Willis under center. However, we will see Willis in the spotlight and can see how far he has come as a passer and as a leader of the offense.

Even if LaFleur doesn’t show off too much, it’s still a fun chance for him to try new concepts that play to Willis’ strengths that can be adapted into the regular-season offense. Love and Willis have different strengths and weaknesses, and it says a lot about LaFleur’s ability to create efficient game plans for both of his quarterbacks.

If Love stays healthy, that may be all we see of Willis this season. Willis is in the final year of his initial rookie contract, so the preseason is his main audition for a second contract in Green Bay or as a potential trade target.

You never want to need your backup quarterback, but emergencies obviously happen. Despite Willis’ late acquisition in 2024, he quickly raised the team’s floor compared to Clifford or Pratt. Willis grew every week and kept Green Bay afloat all season. Whether or not this is Willis’s last time in the spotlight in Green Bay, it’ll be fascinating to see how far he’s come over the last year, and it’s a testament to how good Matt LaFleur and his coaching staff are.