After impressing this season while filling in for Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis is being viewed as a player who could potentially get a starting opportunity next season.
In an article published Tuesday by ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler, anonymous league executives chose Willis to sign with either the Cleveland Browns or Miami Dolphins this offseason.
Regarding the idea of Willis possibly signing with the Browns, an NFC personnel exec told Fowler, “I just don’t think [the Browns] go into the season with Shedeur [Sanders] as their top option. And getting the right quarterback in the draft isn’t a guarantee based on where they pick.”
After trading veteran Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals during the 2025 regular season, the Browns gave starting looks to a pair of rookie quarterbacks in third-round pick Dillon Gabriel and fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders.
Gabriel went 1-5 in six starts, leading to Sanders’ elevation into the starting role for the final seven games of the season.
While Sanders did some good things, including posting a 3-4 record, his individual results were poor, as he completed 56.6 percent of his passes for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Sanders and Gabriel are under contract for next year, while veteran Deshaun Watson is set to potentially return as well after missing all of 2025 with a torn Achilles.
Still, the Browns could be in the market for a new quarterback via trade, free agency or the draft.
The 2026 NFL draft is widely viewed as a weak one at the quarterback position, as there may be no guaranteed first-rounder outside of Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza.
Assuming Mendoza goes first overall to the Las Vegas Raiders, the Browns may not have a viable option with the sixth overall pick.
That could compel them to explore a stopgap option such as Willis, who would potentially have the opportunity to establish himself as the long-term option if he performs well.
Originally a third-round pick out of Liberty in 2022, Willis spent his first two NFL seasons with the Tennessee Titans before getting traded to the Packers.
When called upon by Packers head coach Matt LaFleur over the past two seasons, Willis has acquitted himself well.
In seven appearances and two starts in 2024, Willis went 2-0, completed 74.1 percent of his passes for 550 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, and rushed for 138 yards and one score.
Willis started one of the four games he appeared in this season, and while he came out on the losing end in that start, he was effective once again in limited action, completing 85.7 percent of his passing attempts for 422 yards, three touchdowns and no picks, and rushing for 123 yards and two touchdowns on the year.
There isn’t expected to be much available at quarterback in free agency, and if Daniel Jones re-signs with the Indianapolis Colts, Willis stands out as the clear best option.
Since signing Willis would allow the Browns to address quarterback without drafting one or giving up picks in a trade for one, it is a low-risk move that could pay dividends.