The Tennessee Titans pulled off a surprising trade ahead of the NFL roster cut deadline last week, dealing former third-round pick Malik Willis to the Green Bay Packers.
Willis was a third-round pick of the Titans in the 2022 NFL Draft. At that point, the brass in Nashville thought that he could end up being a franchise guy.
It did not pan out.
The Liberty product played in all of 11 games during his two-year run in Tennessee, starting three games in the process. He ultimately threw zero touchdowns against three interceptions.
One might think that Willis would have been happy with a change of scenery. That apparently doesn’t seem to be the case.
“I didn’t wake up thinking I was going to be traded,” Willis said, via ESPN’s Rob Demovsky. “So it definitely caught me by surprise. More than anything, you just take it [for] what it is. Quick turnaround, and the season’s starting. There’s no more lounging around and kinda getting ready for the season. This is what it is.”
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Malik Willis in a better situation to succeed with the Green Bay Packers
Willis heads to Green Bay as QB2 behind Jordan Love. He was battling for a roster spot in Tennessee. Hence, why the Titans moved the youngster for a mere seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
While the Packers are obviously hopeful Willis won’t have to play, it’s a good insurance policy to have. They are also seemingly high on the young quarterback after opting to move off both Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt.
“I think certainly there were some underwhelming performances at times,” Green Bay Packers GM Brian Gutekunst said of Clifford and Pratt. “But at the same time, Malik is a guy that certainly, he’s in his third year and he really has shown a lot of progression, particularly this preseason… I’m excited to get him, get him in the building and see where that goes.”