Jalen Hurts' development into a starting quarterback was one that almost didn't happen. After two inconsistent seasons with completion percentages of 52.0% and 61.3%, most fans were ready to move on. The same sentiment surrounded head coach Nick Sirianni. Together they proved something the NFL is still learning: you can build a championship contender with system over savior.

Since Detroit struck gold with Jared Goff, the league has witnessed a surge in reclamation projects. Baker Mayfield resurrected his career in Tampa with a playoff appearance in 2023. Sam Darnold led Minnesota to the playoffs in 2024 before taking Seattle to the number one seed and NFC championship game in 2025. Daniel Jones found new life in Indianapolis with an 8-4 record before his injury.

The question now haunting front offices: who's next?

Why not Malik Willis?

Tennessee's Failed Development

Willis was drafted by the Titans in 2022 as a developmental project. He needed time to refine his raw athleticism and arm talent. That time never came. When Ryan Tannehill went down, Tennessee threw Willis into the fire of an offense built entirely around Derrick Henry's bruising ground game.

The results were predictable and devastating. Across 11 games with Tennessee in 2022 and 2023, Willis completed just 53.03% of his passes for 350 yards with zero passing touchdowns and three interceptions. His 144 rushing yards showed athletic ability, but his four fumbles told a different story about a quarterback forced to scramble before he could read defenses. Teams were stacking eight defenders in the box against a young quarterback who had no choice but to run. The Titans failed him by putting him on the field at all during his rookie season.

Given the state of Tennessee's roster and the desperation surrounding Tannehill's injury, the move was understandable, but the results were not Willis's fault.

Green Bay's Development Success

The Titans traded Willis to the Packers in the 2024 offseason. He spent two seasons as Jordan Love's backup. The move transformed his career in ways statistics can barely capture.

Across 11 games with Green Bay in 2024 and 2025, Willis completed 78.65% of his passes for 972 yards with six touchdowns and zero interceptions. He averaged 13.89 yards per completion, which was a 3.89-yard improvement from his first two years in the league. His increased yards per rushing attempt showed a quarterback who now used his legs to set up throws instead of escaping chaos. He generated 15 rushing first downs and three rushing touchdowns while cutting his fumbles in half to just two.

The numbers tell only part of the story. The real transformation happened in how Willis processed the game. He was sacked 11 times in Green Bay, only three fewer sacks than his time in Tennessee. A younger Willis would trust his gut and use his instincts to make plays without thinking about consequences on the next down or possession. Send a blitz at rookie Malik Willis, and he would scramble backwards into a sack or desperation heave. Send a blitz at Malik Willis now, and he will stand his ground and execute the play call with confidence.

He became a paradox for defenses to deal with because he finally understood how to make decisions without hesitating. He learned to use his legs to set himself up to succeed while defenders guessed his next move. He matured and played like a veteran at NFL speed. This is a transferable skill that won't magically disappear when he joins a new team.

The Proven Blueprint

Willis shares the same developmental arc as the other quarterbacks who successfully rebooted their careers. Hurts hesitated because he could both run and pass before learning to make decisive reads. Goff and Daniel Jones struggled with panic turnovers in their careers without a reliable run game to lean on. All three needed an offensive system that rebuilt their confidence and relied on yards after the catch.

Willis fixed the panic problem. His zero interceptions across 89 attempts in Green Bay prove he learned to take what defenses give him. He fixed the hesitation problem. His completion percentage jumped 25.62 percentage points because he stopped second-guessing his reads. The biggest problem he has left is timing and anticipation on deep throws.

This is where the right situation matters most. A scheme that relies on a versatile pass-catching running back and YAC weapons that can turn short passes into big plays would mitigate this weakness entirely. A coach who can build his confidence throughout games for occasional deep shots similar to how Detroit masks Jared Goff would provide the ideal environment for Willis to become a long-term starter.

Understanding the Risk

The downside to Willis remains his fumbles. Six fumbles across 22 career games show a quarterback whose playstyle at the position is energizing but dangerous. He runs more like Cam Newton and Josh Allen than Lamar Jackson or Kyler Murray. He tries to break tackles instead of running out of bounds or sliding. At 6'1" and 225 pounds, he is smaller than Newton and Allen. The risk is real, but the reward is equally real.

The difference between risk and reward comes down to the environment. The question isn't whether Malik Willis can play. Willis finally got structure in Green Bay. He proved he could execute within it. The question is whether a team will buy into building a contender around him instead of using him as a stepping stone for a future rookie.

Based on what we've seen from Goff, Mayfield, Darnold, and Jones, the bet looks smarter than most people think. Willis isn't the next Jalen Hurts. He's the next test case for whether NFL teams actually learned what made Hurts and Goff work in the first place.

Best Landing Spots

Seven teams have quarterback rooms Willis could compete in: Dolphins, Jets, Steelers, Panthers, Vikings, Browns, and Cardinals. Most won't work.

Miami, Minnesota, and Cleveland have no cap space. Carolina will wait another year with Bryce Young's extension looming. Arizona already has Kyler Murray and Jacoby Brissett with limited flexibility.

That leaves Pittsburgh and New York.

The Steelers have DK Metcalf, who hasn't hit 1,000 yards in two seasons. The Jets have Garrett Wilson, who's eclipsed 1,000 yards in all four seasons despite backup quarterbacks. Breece Hall commands defensive attention in ways Kenneth Gainwell and Jaylen Warren simply don't. Pittsburgh has the better offensive line, but New York can fix theirs with picks 18 and 33 in the draft.

Mike McCarthy just took over in Pittsburgh and will push a pass-heavy offense that overexposes Willis's limitations. The Jets have shown interest in dual-threat quarterbacks with Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor. More importantly, offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand already watched this process work in Detroit with Jared Goff.

The Jets have the weapons, the scheme, and a coordinator who knows the blueprint. The Packers showed what's possible when you give Willis the right structure. Now the Jets can show they learned the lesson.