Packers Trade for Titans' Quarterback Malik Willis

Maybe we all should have known.

Matt LaFleur did not mince words when he was asked about his quarterback situation following the Green Bay Packers' 30-7 win in their preseason finale.

"We'll see. Again, I think it's similar to the kicking competition," said LaFleur.

"There was some really good moments, and then there's some things that we absolutely have to do better. We'll evaluate everything that's out there for us."

It appears the bad moments outweighed the good in the eyes of Brian Gutekunst as well.

Late Monday afternoon, the Packers swung a trade for a new quarterback. Malik Willis was acquired for a seventh-round pick, as first reported by Ian Rapoport.

Willis was a third-round pick in 2022 and has completed 35-of-66 passes in his career for 350 yards, no touchdowns. He is a gifted runner, having run for 144 yards on 32 carries.

Perhaps the potential for high variance is what attracted the Packers to Willis. Maybe they liked him coming into the draft in 2022.

Until Brian Gutekunst speaks, it's hard to say.

What is easy to see is the Packers were not satisfied with their situation at quarterback behind Jordan Love.

Sean Clifford occupied the backup role a season ago but never saw any meaningful action.

The Packers added Tulane's Michael Pratt in the seventh-round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Both were pitted against each other, but neither took a firm grasp of the job to claim it as their own.

Clifford struggled throughout the offseason program, throwing too many interceptions.

Pratt looked like he was more physically talented, but swimming upstream on the mental side of things.

That's to be expected. The jump from college to the NFL is difficult for anyone, and asking Pratt to be ready would be asking a lot.

According to Bill Huber, the Packers are expected to waive Clifford in the wake of the Willis trade.

Pratt's future is less certain.

They could roster him. They could release him and try to sneak him back onto the practice squad.

There's also a scenario where the Packers keep both Clifford and Pratt on the practice squad.

With the expanded rosters, there are 16 spots to occupy. Willis will be on the active roster with Jordan Love, but having Willis as the primary backup when he will only have been in Green Bay for 10 days is setting him up for failure.

Keeping four quarterbacks in the organization is not unheard of.

In fact, with the expanded rosters, it could be prudent. Clifford's knowledge of the offense can still come in handy even if he's not expected to play.

Quarterback is the most important position in sports, and Gutekunst knows that too.

“I was raised in this business by Ron (Wolf) and Ted (Thompson) and taking quarterbacks and having quarterbacks, you can't have enough of them,” Gutekunst said prior the 2023 draft.

“If you have an opportunity to acquire a guy you think can play that position at a high level in this league, you can't turn that down.”

While Clifford or Pratt may not be able to play at a high level yet, there's still value in developing them.

For now, however, the job belongs to Willis, who will try and learn the playbook in a hurry.

His preseason was solid. He showed improved accuracy, completing 74.1 percent of his passes for 205 yards with two touchdowns, one interception and a passer rating over 100.

He also ran the ball 11 times for 101 yards, with runs of 10-plus yards in every game.

How the move works remains to be seen, but it's clear the Packers are leaving no stone unturned in the search for a reliable backup to Jordan Love.

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