On March 9, NFL teams will be able to begin negotiating with free agents. Two days later, they can sign contracts. One of the top free agents available this offseason is Malik Willis, who’s set for free agency after two impressive seasons with the Green Bay Packers.
While Willis is unproven, he’s viewed as one of the best free agent quarterbacks available. Some teams may even be looking at him as a potential starter after leading the Packers to a 2-1 record across the past two seasons.
Of course, for every Sam Darnold success story, there are two or three others that wind up not panning out, like Justin Fields. Still, for teams that don’t have a franchise QB, taking a chance on a potential starter is often worth the gamble.
Several teams will be searching for a starting quarterback this offseason. As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes, Willis’ market will be driven by how many suitors he has in free agency. Thus, Willis contract projections are quite scattered.
Florio suggests Willis could “cash in” by landing a contract ranging from $20 million per season to $40 million per year. Though, his official prediction is that Willis ultimately signs a deal worth somewhere between $20 and $30 million per season.
“Our guess is that Willis will land between $20 million and $30 million per year — unless a land rush emerges. If that happens, who knows? $35 million? $40 million? (While $40 million sounds like a lot, it’s still only 66.6 percent of the current market limit.)”
PFT’s Mike Florio on Malik Willis contract projection
Fields landed a two-year, $40 million contract from the Jets last offseason. Now it appears that Willis, a former third-round pick who will be 27 when the season kicks off, could be looking at a similar contract. But again, it all depends on how many teams are interested.
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