The Green Bay Packers added quarterback Malik Willis to their roster just weeks before the 2024 regular season was set to kick off, acquiring him in a trade with the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a seventh-round draft pick.
And it ended up being a genius move for the team, as the backup QB situation before then left a lot to be desired.
It turned out to be very important that Willis joined the Packers' quarterback room when he did, as Jordan Love was injured late in Green Bay's Week 1 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil. The 25-year-old was effectively thrown to the wolves for the Packers' next two games and performed well, further indicating how brilliant the trade was.
With Love on the shelf, Willis helped lead the Packers to two wins, the second coming against none other than the Titans, throwing for 324 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions in the pair of victories. He also added 114 yards and a touchdown with his legs, proving he could be a serviceable backup quarterback.
Willis, taken by Tennessee in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, never looked the part of a starter with the Titans. And with them having Will Levis and Mason Rudolph on the roster, moving on made sense. But it sure sounds like they're regretting the move now.
Titans head coach discusses trading Malik Willis to the Packers last offseason
Titans head coach Brian Callahan was recently asked about Willis' success in Green Bay and why the decision to trade him was ultimately made.
"We saw a lot of improvement with Malik over the course of last offseason," Callahan said. "If you were looking at just from where he started to where he finished, I thought that he might have been one of the most improved players on the offense just in our short time he was there.
"I liked what he was doing, I liked how he was playing, we just had an opportunity to get a [draft] pick for a player," Callahan continued. "Malik's a fantastic person, and I was fired up to see him have some success. I don't know that I can sit here and tell you I saw that coming. I think he's a good fit up there in Green Bay."
While Willis was thriving with his new team, the Titans went on to have a terrible year. Levis proved not to be the Titans' quarterback of the future, and when given a chance to start, Rudolph didn't fare much better.
Willis may not have been the starter all season long in Green Bay, but when given the chance to lead the offense, he did his part.
It's easy in hindsight for Callahan to say that he thought Willis competed well for the backup job in Tennessee. But at the time, the team that spent a Day 2 pick on the Liberty product clearly didn't think he was good enough. Their loss was the Packers' gain, and Green Bay undoubtedly won that trade.