It's looking like Malik Willis will be the latest quarterback to cash in on the NFL's demand for rehabilitating the careers of former draft busts. Basically everyone is trying to find their own Sam Darnold, but Willis should not be that player for the Atlanta Falcons despite their clear QB woes.
The 26-year-old is garnering some major free agent buzz after a great start in Jordan Love's place in a Week 17 game against the Baltimore Ravens, but it's starting to get out of control. Spotrac projects that Willis will receive a contract north of $35 million per season on a new deal, which is very steep.
Giving the 2022 third-round pick the $20 million AAV deal that Justin Fields got last free agency would make some sense for the Falcons to consider, but this price tag is absurd. I get that Michael Penix Jr. hasn't been stellar, but this would be Ian Cunningham putting his eggs in the wrong basket.
If the Falcons want to get get it right at QB, they are better off sticking with Michael Penix Jr. than spending big on Malik Willis
Yes, Willis has turned around his career since the Packers acquired him, but he's made just six NFL starts. That isn't enough of a sample size for me to move the needle on signing him, especially when part of the appeal of the Dirty Birds hiring Kevin Stefanski as their new coach was to develop Penix.
Willis has a solid arm and his mobility is a major selling point, but I don't see him as much more than an above average backup at this stage of his career. Any team (especially the Falcons) signing him to be a starter would end the same as the Fields move did for the Jets, even though there's high upside.
The recklessness from a few select teams looking for budget finds at QB has flipped the whole market upside down. Let the Dolphins or Cardinals make this mistake, since signing Willis, especially at his price tag, screams desperation, and the Falcons have no reason to seriously covet his services.
Penix still has the tools to be great, and I have faith that Stefanski and this revamped offensive staff will do a better job of setting him up for success by actually catering the offense to his strengths. And for as talented as Willis is, he hasn't proven himself worthy of such a lucrative price tag, especially at the expense of the 25-year-old.
Signing the Liberty product is a high risk, high reward move, and there's no world where he's a better option at QB than Penix. I hope the Falcons learned their lesson about breaking the bank on QB after the Kirk Cousins fiasco, so they'd be better off saving money and signing someone like Joe Flacco as a trusted backup.