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<\/p>\nGreen Bay Packers quarterback Clayton Tune has quite the opportunity in front of him.<\/p>\n
With Jordan Love in the concussion protocol last week, the loss to the Ravens essentially served as a job interview for Malik Willis. If he played well, he would solidify his position of being a coveted free agent with an opportunity to earn a significant contract and starting job this coming offseason.<\/p>\n
Did he ever.<\/p>\n
Willis was Green Bay\u2019s entire offense, and any chance the Packers might have had to keep him beyond the 2025 season probably went out the window.<\/p>\n
That means the backup quarterback job for next season is up for grabs. The first man to audition for the role will be Tune, who is going from practice squad to getting ready to start Sunday\u2019s game at the Minnesota Vikings.<\/p>\n
Tune learned he\u2019d get the start on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnytime you get to play, it\u2019s a blessing,\u201d he said after practice on Thursday. \u201cExcited to have this opportunity, excited to get in there and play football again. It\u2019s been a little while. I\u2019m excited.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tune has some experience under his belt, albeit limited. His first and only NFL start came in 2023, when he was a rookie fifth-round draft pick by the Arizona Cardinals.<\/p>\n
Matt LaFleur and the Packers think he\u2019s progressed since coming to Green Bay after final roster cuts.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I think he\u2019s the guy that\u2019s shown some pretty good promise in terms of what we\u2019ve seen,\u201d LaFleur said. \u201cSo, what an opportunity for him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Could Clayton Tune Replace Malik Willis?<\/p>\n
The opportunity in front of him, whether LaFleur mentions it explicitly or not, is to win the job behind Love.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a job that has gotten some run since Love became the team\u2019s starting quarterback in 2023.<\/p>\n
Love did not miss any time in his first year as a starter, but missed two games and parts of two others in 2024.<\/p>\n
This season, Love was knocked out of one game against the New York Giants, with Willis replacing him for one series. He missed last week\u2019s game against the Ravens after getting concussed in the second quarter against Chicago.<\/p>\n
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Green Bay Packers quarterback Clayton Tune (6) throws under pressure against the Baltimore Ravens. | Mark Hoffman\/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n
In general, the backup\u2019s job is to keep the team afloat in situations like those. Willis has been masterful in that role, and his presumptive departure will mean an important opening on the roster.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m excited,\u201d Tune said. \u201cAny time you get an opportunity to play in an NFL game, it\u2019s a huge blessing, so just excited for the opportunity to go out and play and trust the training that I\u2019ve put in for the last however many weeks it\u2019s been.\u201d<\/p>\n
LaFleur has shown an ability to adapt to the personnel around him, which is part of what helped Willis be as successful as he has been whenever he\u2019s had to step in for Love.<\/p>\n
Huge Challenge for Clayton Tune<\/p>\n
Sunday\u2019s challenge is significantly different. Willis\u2019 two games of extended action this year were against teams with passing defenses in the bottom third of the NFL. Last year, he faced two bad teams, including the Titans, who finished with the first pick in the draft.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s staring Tune in the face? Brian Flores and the Minnesota Vikings.<\/p>\n
Flores has a reputation as one of the league\u2019s top defensive minds and is a potential candidate to be a head coach when the carousel starts to spin next week. The last time he faced the Packers, he held them to 23 points. The Packers were largely conservative in that game. Some of that was a result of Love playing with a shoulder injury, but some of it was a result of Flores\u2019 defense, as well.<\/p>\n
Flores\u2019 defense is coming off its best performance of the season. The Vikings took the ball away from the Detroit Lions six times en route to a 23-10 victory that was entirely on their shoulders.<\/p>\n
That came against four-time Pro Bowl quarterback Jared Goff. Now, it\u2019s Tune\u2019s turn. He will lean on his limited experience against Flores\u2019 ferocious front.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would say I\u2019m obviously more experienced, been around the game more. Obviously seeing more looks, seeing more defenses,\u201d Tune said when comparing this start to when he started in the Cardinals\u2019 27-0 loss to Cleveland two years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, I would say I\u2019m obviously a better player just from being in the NFL for two years longer, but just I\u2019ve seen it before and I kind of know what to expect now that I\u2019ve got a start under my belt.\u201d<\/p>\n
If Tune plays well, perhaps the Packers won\u2019t be looking to spend some of its limited draft and free agency capital on a backup quarterback. Tune playing well could inspire confidence that they have the right man in-house.<\/p>\n
What else does he need to do to prove that? Quarterbacks coach Sean Mannion, who had a lengthy career as an NFL backup, had a few ideas.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think for Clayton, it\u2019s just keep getting better. I think he\u2019s someone who has talent, has ability,\u201d he said. \u201cAgain, it\u2019s a great opportunity for him to go out there and really get live reps with what we\u2019re doing. To this point, it\u2019s been work on the scout team. He\u2019s done a really nice job with that but I think he\u2019s a drafted guy, he\u2019s played in this league before in Arizona, so we\u2019re excited to get a further look at him. It\u2019s a great opportunity for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know everyone on the team is excited for that. I think he\u2019s a talented guy who works hard and really is professional in his approach. If you have those three things, it\u2019s about continuing to work and continuing to get better for an opportunity like this, when you can go out there and put your best foot forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Perhaps in the standings, Sunday\u2019s game will be viewed as meaningless. Maybe that\u2019s true for established players like Love, who will not be playing on Sunday.<\/p>\n
For someone like Tune? Sunday\u2019s game means everything.<\/p>\n
\u201cMan, I hope Clayton goes out there and balls,\u201d Love said on Thursday, his first comments since the concussion. \u201cI expect him to go out there and lead the boys and put his best foot forward, but he\u2019s been doing some great things in practice, he\u2019s been locked in all week.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the end of the day, we know the defense we\u2019re going against. It\u2019s a lot for anybody, so there\u2019s definitely a lot on his plate, and I think he\u2019s done a great job handling it this week. Just go out there, play free, play loose and I hope he balls out.\u201d<\/p>\n