In little more than a week, the negotiating period will begin for impending free agents. And quarterback Malik Willis will undoubtedly be agreeing to terms quickly.<\/p>\n
With the Packers having no real shot at keeping Willis as the No. 2 to Jordan Love, the tampering will be even more rampant than usual. A deal may already be done, now that the full week of rampant tampering and excessive consumption of bovine body parts in Indianapolis has ended.<\/p>\n
So what will Willis get? One theory is that Willis will land in the range of $20 million to $25 million per year on a two- or three-year deal.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s at the lower end of the veteran starter scale. Last year, the Jets gave Justin Fields a two-year, $40 million deal with $30 million of it fully guaranteed. Although Fields played more than Willis (Fields had 50 appearances and 44 starts through four seasons; Willis has 22 and six), Willis played very well in limited opportunities during his two years in Green Bay.<\/p>\n
Of course, if enough teams want Willis, the money could go higher. Maybe he could get to $30 million per year.<\/p>\n
Last year, Sam Darnold parlayed 14 regular-season wins into $33.5 million over three years with Seattle. But the Seahawks didn\u2019t have much if any competition for Darnold. The more suitors for Willis, the more he can make.<\/p>\n
The ideal arrangement for Willis, if the number is south of $30 million per year, would be to have a very low cap number early in the deal and a bigger one later \u2014 big enough to give Willis the leverage to force an extension if things go well.<\/p>\n