With nearly 25 players set to enter some form of free agency, a list that includes several starters on both sides of the football, the Green Bay Packers certainly have plenty of decisions to make over the next few weeks.
And given the Packers' salary cap situation, those set to hit the market won't be the only focus, as general manager Brian Gutekunst and head coach Matt LaFleur will undoubtedly have to make some cuts to free up some cash.
Center Elgton Jenkins seems to be a likely cut candidate, but edge rusher Rashan Gary could be on the chopping block as well. And it's probably safe to say at this point that many Cheeseheads likely wouldn't be opposed to the Packers saying goodbye to Brandon McManus, who was recently named the worst kicker of the 2025 season. So, again, the Packers have some work to do.
Now, one player Green Bay would undoubtedly love to have return is backup quarterback Malik Willis, who has performed extremely well in place of Jordan Love when called upon over the past two years. But that's not a player the Packers will need to focus on, as the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent played so well that he's likely going to have several teams interested in bringing him on as QB1.
And the fine folks at Spotrac seem to believe that those teams might be willing to pay a pretty penny to get him.
Spotrac projects Malik Willis to receive $35 million per season on a new contract
To reiterate, the likelihood of the Packers being able to bring Willis back as QB2 behind Love was already pretty low. But now, Spotrac has given Green Bay the green light to not even take the time to attempt to do so, as they're now projecting the 26-year-old to receive a two-year deal this offseason worth $71,075,012.
Yes, you read that correctly. Spotrac is calling for a guy with six professional starts to his name, three with the Packers and three with the Tennessee Titans, to make $35,537,506 per season. For those wondering, that average annual value would rank 18th among all NFL QBs, right between Geno Smith ($37,500,000) and new Super Bowl winner Sam Darnold ($33,500,000).
To call that a bold move would be a vast understatement, don't you think? But that's just the world we live in these days. I mean, the New York Jets gave Justin Fields a two-year, $40 million contract last offseason, which obviously didn't work out, so at this point, anything seems possible.
Personally, I don't believe Willis will get anywhere close to $35 million per season on a new contract. Sure, he might get that $20 million and maybe even $25 million if teams like the Arizona Cardinals or Miami Dolphins get desperate enough. But $35 million? Not likely.
Whatever Willis gets will obviously be much more than the Packers would be willing to pay, so while he'll certainly be missed, Green Bay simply has to walk away and go shopping for a new backup.