Latest news with #MalikWillis
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Steelers-Packers trade pitch sends $5M dual-threat QB to Pittsburgh as Aaron Rodgers' successor
The Pittsburgh Steelers are already thinking beyond this season with Aaron Rodgers. The veteran quarterback has made it clear that this will likely be his final year in the NFL. Bringing Rodgers to the Steel City took time, but he stayed committed to the verbal agreement he gave the franchise. 'I just think verbally, behind the scenes, not that he guaranteed it, but he's told [the Steelers], 'Listen, I'm gonna play for you. I just don't want to go there and then miss part of mandatory minicamp because of my personal issues. I'm pretty sure they're gonna be solved by the end of May, at least in my satisfaction where I can give you my all,'' Ian O'Connor said. Rodgers has entered the season with a renewed mindset—he wants to win it all. He's also in the best shape of his life, something he's made a clear point of emphasis. 'I can say here—and I think I'm 100 percent right—[Rodgers] is in the best shape and changed his body a little bit to fit who he really is,' said Super Bowl champion Phil Simms on his podcast. Rodgers shared that his decision to return this season was deeply personal, driven by how much football still means to him. Looking ahead, the Steelers may already be preparing for a post-Rodgers era. One option on the table is acquiring quarterback Malik Willis from the Packers via trade. Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp 'The Steelers should also consider kicking the tires on Willis. Aaron Rodgers isn't a long-term solution in Pittsburgh, and Willis' dual-threat skill set would fit the system of offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Steelers wanted to bring back Fields before losing him to the Jets and pivoting to Rodgers,' Bleacher Report's Kevin Knox wrote. Willis hasn't had much opportunity to prove himself as a starter since being drafted by the Titans. With three wins in just five starts, he's simply looking for a chance—and if he capitalizes on it, he could become the Steelers' long-term answer at quarterback.
Forbes
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
The Most Important Packers: No. 21 — Malik Willis
Green Bay Packers backup quarterback Malik Willis went 2-0 as a starter last season. The Green Bay Packers went 11-6 last season, sweeping the NFC West and the AFC South along the way. Overall, though, no one in the building was happy. The Packers failed to build on their terrific finish to the 2023 campaign, settled for the No. 7 seed in the NFC playoffs, and lost a Wild Card game to eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia. Afterwards, general manager Brian Gutekunst turned up the heat on everybody in the building. 'We need to continue to ramp up our sense of urgency,' Gutekunst said. 'I think it's time we started competing for championships.' Those are fair expectations. The Packers return 20 of 22 starters, and appear to have upgraded the roster via free agency and the draft. With several third and fourth year players trending upward, Green Bay should be poised to make a move. 'I think they're ready,' Gutekunst said. Now, it's time for the Packers to prove their G.M. right. Green Bay's first training camp practice is July 23. Between now and then I will count down the '30 Most Important Packers' heading into the 2025 campaign. At No. 21 is quarterback Malik 21 Malik Willis, QB Last season The Packers traded a seventh round draft pick to Tennessee for Willis last August, and the third-year quarterback helped Green Bay save its season. Starter Jordan Love missed Weeks 2-3 with a knee injury. Love also missed half of a Week 8 contest with a groin injury. Amazingly, the Packers went 3-0 in those games as Willis shined. Willis completed 12-of-14 passes for 122 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown pass to Dontayvion Wicks, in a 16-10 win over Indianapolis in Week 2. Willis also had six carries for 41 yards and didn't throw an interception that day. Then in a 30-14 rout of Tennessee in Week 3, Willis completed 13-of-19 passes for 202 yards with one touchdown pass and no interceptions. Willis also ran for a team-high 73 yards and a TD and finished with a passer rating of 120.9. In those two games, Willis was a combined 25-of-33 for 324 yards with two touchdowns, no interceptions and a 126.3 passer rating. And amazingly, Willis led Green Bay to a pair of wins when it was a significant underdog in both contests. 'Great job by Malik coming in and just being ready for his number to be called and making big plays,' wide receiver Jayden Reed said. Willis then entered the Packers' Week 8 game at Jacksonville early in the third quarter and Green Bay leading 13-10. Willis completed 4-of-5 passes for 56 yards, ran for 23 yards and hit Reed with a 51-yard completion late in the game to lift Green Bay to a 30-27 win. 'You can't say enough great things about Malik Willis, the job that he's able to do to go in there,' Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said after the Jacksonville win. 'The moment's never too big for him.' Willis finished the year completing 40-of-54 passes (74.1%) with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Willis threw for 550 yards, ran for 138 yards and finished with a terrific passer rating of to date Willis attended Liberty and was a third round draft pick of the Tennessee Titans in 2022. He appeared in eight games as a rookie, including three starts when starter Ryan Tannehill was injured. Willis was just 31-of-61 passing as a rookie, threw three interceptions with no touchdowns and had an abysmal passer rating of 42.8. Willis had just five passing attempts in his second year with the Titans. And when he arrived in Green Bay, Willis had career stats of 35-for-66 passing for 350 yards, no touchdowns, three interceptions and a 49.4. Willis then turned his career around with a sensational 2024 The Packers were a mess at backup quarterback last summer as Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt both struggled throughout training camp. Willis helped Green Bay survive — and thrive — though, when Love was hurt. And if Love goes down again, Green Bay figures to be in good hands. Willis doesn't have the passing skills of a player like Love. But Willis is one of the NFL's premier dual threat quarterbacks and provides a run/pass option few other quarterbacks possess. Former Virginia Tech standout Michael Vick holds the fastest time ever by a quarterback at the NFL Combine at 4.33 seconds. Willis didn't participate at the NFL Combine in 2022, but he was timed at 4.37 in the 40-yard dash during his sophomore season at Auburn in 2019. 'You can always count on him picking up yardage with his legs,' LaFleur said of Willis. 'He does a great job, he's super athletic, and explosive.' Willis will be a free agent after this season and could very well be in a different uniform in 2026. For at least one more year, though, the Packers should feel awfully good about their No. 2 Said It … 'I don't think when you bring a player in right at the cut down day … you expect him to start in a couple weeks and do what he did. So just, you know, really appreciative of his professionalism, and you know, just how prepared he was. So yeah … very appreciative of his, you know, his pro kind of the way he attacked things and really fit into our football team well.' — Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst on Willis'I've had a lot of time to just work hard and just grind every day in order to make use of my next opportunity. I think more than anything you just try to continue to work hard and understand that you don't know when the opportunity will come, but you have to be ready for it when you get it.' — Willis on making the most of his chance in Green Bay'I just cannot articulate the job that he's done in this short period of time. People can't fathom it. I promise you, you guys don't get it. I know you think you got it, but you don't get it. What he's been able to do, I've never seen something like this. Hats off to him.' — Packers coach Matt LaFleur after Willis won his two starts in 2024THE TOP 30 • No. 30 — RB MarShawn Lloyd • No. 29 — WR Dontayvion Wicks • No. 28 — S Javon Bullard • No. 27 — WR Savion Williams • No. 26 — LB Isaiah McDuffie • No. 25 — OL Jordan Morgan • No. 24 — WR Matthew Golden • No. 23 — CB Carrington Valentine • No. 22 — WR Romeo Doubs
Associated Press
29-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Jordan Love has big goals as he heads into his third season as Packers' starting QB
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Jordan Love doesn't necessarily agree with the assertion that he and the Green Bay Packers took a step back last season. But the Packers quarterback is certain about this much: It's time for his team and his game to take a major step forward. Love heads into his third season as a starter coming off a three-interception performance in the team's season-ending NFC first-round playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles but believing he's on a team capable of winning the Super Bowl. Whether Love and his teammates reach that goal depends in part on how much Love improves his game and whether he can avoid the injuries that sidelined him for 2 1/2 games last season. Love begrudgingly admitted those injuries affected his play. 'You're talking about Super Bowl. That's the goal for us,' Love said Wednesday following the first open-to-reporters organized team activity practice of the offseason. 'I'm definitely trying to be that guy to be able to take this team and lead them to that.' Love suffered a left knee injury in the closing moments of the team's season-opening loss to the Eagles in Brazil, with the injury sidelining him for the next two games, both of which the Packers won with backup Malik Willis under center. Love then sustained the left groin injury during an Oct. 29 win at Jacksonville, just as his knee was getting back to full health. He admitted that the injuries might've had an effect on his accuracy and mobility, but insisted they were no excuse for not playing better. 'Obviously it's not fun playing through injuries, but sometimes those (are) things you've got to do,' said Love, who finished the 2024 season with a 61.3% completion rate and a 96.7 passer rating, with 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. 'There might've been some things that might've been affected, but at the end of the day, I'm still trying to put my best foot forward and I've got to go out there and be the best player I can be.' Love raised expectations inside and outside Lambeau Field with his torrid finish to the 2023 season, when he completed 70.3% of his passes for 2,150 yards with 18 touchdowns and only one interception (112.7 rating) over the final eight regular-season games. Love then led a first-round playoff upset of the No. 2-seeded Dallas Cowboys on the road. Packers coach Matt LaFleur disputed the notion Wednesday that Love struggled in 2024, pointing not only to the injuries but the 33 passes his receivers dropped during the regular season — tied for the third most in the league. 'I think there's a narrative out there for whatever reason that he wasn't as productive as the year before,' LaFleur said. 'Well, he missed significant time (with injuries) … and also — let's be honest, we've talked about this — we did have a lot of drops last year. 'So, there's other circumstances that play into it.' LaFleur said he liked what he's seen from Love this offseason and how he's handling a myriad of new challenges. Those challenges include transitioning from having 71-year-old Tom Clements as his position coach to having 33-year-old Sean Mannion in that role, trying to keep all his wide receivers happy when there are only so many passes to go around and rising to LaFleur's publicly stated challenge that Love needs to be more of a vocal leader in his sixth NFL season. 'He's already doing that,' veteran running back Josh Jacobs said of Love's altered leadership approach. 'He definitely has been more vocal, whether it's at practice or even in the meetings. If he sees something he doesn't like, he's speaking up. … I've definitely seen a big change in him.' NOTES: Jayden Reed, the Packers' leading receiver the past two seasons, insisted he's not worried about his role in the offense, despite a report that his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, contacted the team looking for clarity about his client's role. 'A lot of people misinterpreted that,' Reed said. … LaFleur said wide receiver Christian Watson, recovering from a torn ACL in his right knee suffered in the Jan. 5 regular-season finale, is 'doing outstanding. I would say he's ahead of schedule, but I'm not a doctor.' … LaFleur confirmed that the team will have two joint practices this summer, one at Indianapolis and another at home against the Seattle Seahawks. ... The Packers will begin training camp July 23. ___ AP NFL:
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Packers WR Matthew Golden Switches To No. 22 For A Heartfelt Reason
On Wednesday, the Green Bay Packers revealed the jersey numbers for their 2025 NFL Draft class, with the number assigned to wide receiver Matthew Golden sparking lively discussion among fans. Golden wore the jersey with the No. 2 during his time at Texas. After being drafted, he was initially assigned No. 81 but later switched to No. 22, a less common choice for a wide receiver in the NFL. Advertisement The Packers held their rookie availability on Friday, and during his conversation with reporters, Golden explained why he decided to switch to No. 22. Matthew Golden speaks at a press conference after being selected by the Green Bay Packers with the 23rd pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images "My grandma's favorite number growing up was 2, and she told me she wanted me to represent that number," Golden said. "I knew the last receiver drafted (by the Packers) was in 2002, so I felt like it made sense to me." According to The Athletic's Matt Schneidman, Golden said he didn't ask Malik Willis for No. 2, despite wearing a No. 2 chain, because he views it as just a jersey number. A reporter then asked Golden if he ever thought on draft night that he would wear number one. Advertisement "I did," he responded. "I talked to the guy who gave me the numbers, and I asked him if I could get 22, and he said it was up for grabs." In a Thursday, April 24 interview on Andy & Ari On3 after the NFL Draft, Golden shared his plans for his money. "Definitely get my grandma a house, man," he said. "We lost our property a couple of years ago. That's somewhere I grew up when I was younger, and it would be a blessing to get that back for my family." Matthew Golden now looks to live the dream shared by countless young athletes—playing in the NFL. With that opportunity ahead, he'll aim to make his family proud and contribute in multiple ways to help the Green Bay Packers make a successful Super Bowl run. Related: Packers Rookie Can't Hide His Admiration For Aaron Rodgers Related: Packers Urged To Re-Sign Star Offensive Lineman Before 2025 Season
