Malik Willis ‘Grateful’ for Opportunity With Packers

The Green Bay Packers traded for quarterback Malik Willis, who performed much better this preseason than Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt.

New Packers QB Malik Willis gets ready before a 2023 game in Pittsburgh. / Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

GREEN BAY, Wis. – On Tuesday, Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon and coach Brian Callahan called quarterback Malik Willis to the office.

He had been traded to the Green Bay Packers.

“They said it’s either a positive or a negative, depending on how you look at it,” Willis said on Wednesday from his new locker at Lambeau Field.

Going from the No. 3 quarterback in Tennessee, where the door to him becoming a starter had slammed shut, to the No. 2 quarterback for a Super Bowl contender is a definite positive.

“Very grateful for the organization – both Tennessee and Green Bay – for giving me the opportunity to play at the next level,” Willis said. “Things happened so I’m here now and grateful to coach and the GM and everybody who’s a part of this things for having me here.”

Since the start of OTAs in May through the preseason finale against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday, Sean Clifford and rookie Michael Pratt engaged in one of the hottest battles of training camp.

Well, it was supposed to be a hot battle. Rather, it was lukewarm.

“I think there were some underwhelming performances at times,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said.

Against the Ravens, Clifford completed 42.9 percent of his passes and fumbled a snap. Pratt threw a bad interception. They both finished the preseason toward the bottom of the league in yards per attempt.

The interest in Willis started before Saturday or even the preseason debacle at Denver a week earlier.

“Those conversations start actually prior to training camp,” Gutekunst said. “Our guys do a great job of setting the table for me as far as what might be available out there as we go. So, we’re watching that each week and we’re watching all the tape, kind of seeing and predicting what might be available. Those conversations are being had between pro scouts and different people throughout.

“Malik is a guy going into his third year and he was kind of running third-string for them, so you’re just wondering how that was going to shake out.”

Over the course of 24 hours, a deal was struck. For the low price of a seventh-round draft pick, the Packers acquired a new backup for Love.

“He really has shown a lot of progression, particularly this preseason,” Gutekunst said. “It was an opportunity for us to add a guy that I think can not only make plays with his arm but with his legs, as well. I’m excited to get him, get him in the building and see where that goes.”

To his point, Willis in the preseason completed 74.1 percent of his passes, averaged 7.6 yards per attempt, had two touchdowns vs. one interception and compiled a 104.7 passer rating. That was much better than Clifford (51.2 percent, 4.8 yards per attempt, one touchdown, one interception and a 62.8 rating) and Pratt (65.7 percent, 5.1 yards per attempt, one touchdown, one interception and a 75.7 rating.

Plus, Willis brings big-time athleticism. He led the Titans with 101 rushing yards and a 9.2-yard average.

Willis, however, wouldn’t put too much stock in his strong preseason meaning anything about his progression.

“It’s reps, at the end of the day. That’s the most important thing,” he said. “You get to go out there and play football against guys that are doing the same as you, trying to get better. I think it’s not anything you put real stock into as far as realization of where you are in your position.

“But I think it’s definitely awesome to get live reps against guys you don’t go against every day, against somebody you have to prepare for. It’s a mock game for the season. That’s what it is. It’s preseason. It helps you lock in on how you want to prepare for a game and how you want to go out there and execute. You see those little things you may have seen on film and be able to utilize it outside of, oh, everything’s scripted in practice. You go play football.”

Willis was touted as a first-round pick in 2022 but instead fell deep into the third round. He got to start a few games as a rookie, but the Titans selected Will Levis with the 33rd overall pick in 2023 and Willis barely played.

Despite the challenges of getting thrown in the fire as a rookie and being left behind in his second season, Willis said he’s grown in “all aspects” of being a quarterback.

“That’s the last time I really got to go and put something out there on tape for myself,” he said. “You work hard every day to work on those things that may be deficiencies or just mistakes. You learn from those bumps and bruises. You just wait for another opportunity. You just stick around until you get another opportunity, and I think that’s been the main thing – focus on the process and not maybe the results.”

Willis was blunt about one thing. As he enters his third season in the league, he’s got a lot to prove. That’ll start with a crash course in the offense with Week 1 against the Eagles just nine days away.

“I think when you’ve played enough games, you can have something you hang your hat on,” he said. “I don’t say I’m hanging my hat on anything as of right now. I think that only comes with reps and confidence building being out there on the field.

“As far as working hard and doing what I can every day to get better, I’ll continue to do that until the opportunity arises.”

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