The Green Bay Packers might be interested in QB Ryan Tannehill to lead their team over the next month, particularly if Malik Willis struggles against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2 — but it simply isn’t going to happen.
Ari Meirov of 33rd Team explained why Tannehill would rebuff any overture from the Packers, were the team to actually make one, even despite having a history with head coach Matt LaFleur as his offensive coordinator in 2018 while quarterbacking for the Tennessee Titans.
“They have not called about Ryan Tannehill,” Meirov said on Thursday, September 12. “The reason is [that] Ryan Tannehill is not looking to sign with a team to be a Band-Aid replacement.”
Meirov added that this has been Tannehill’s plan since his contract voided with Tennessee this spring.
“When Tannehill became a free agent in March, his plan was to basically become what Joe Flacco was last year,” Meirov continued. “He did not wanna sign as a backup quarterback and wait … [for a possible] injury. He’s gonna wait for a team to have a season-ending injury to their quarterback, and they’re gonna need him. And then he comes in and becomes the guy. He still wants to play. He doesn’t want to sit.”
Jordan Love’s Injury Not Serious Enough to Garner Interest in Packers From Ryan Tannehill
GettyQuarterback Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers.
The MCL sprain that Packers starting quarterback Jordan Love suffered in Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles was serious, though it figures to cost him only around a month — or the equivalent of four games.
Even in a worst-case scenario, Tannehill wouldn’t get close to half of the season under center before Love returned to the huddle.
Furthermore, Green Bay chose not to place Love on the injured reserve list (IR), which mandates a player remaining sidelined for at least four contests. That decision indicates that the team believes Love could be back after missing just two or three outings, which is even less ideal for Tannehill as he enters his age-36 season.
Packers Asking Backup QB Malik Willis for Big Performance Despite Minimal Experience
GettyQuarterback Malik Willis of the Green Bay Packers.
There is little question that Tannehill would be more prepared than Willis to step into the spotlight of the Packers’ first home game of the season.
Tannehill has been in the league for 12 years, though he missed the entirety of the 2017 campaign due to injury. Across the 11 years he has played, Tannehill has started 151 times in 155 appearances. He has thrown for nearly 35,000 yards, 216 TDs and 115 INTs, per Pro Football Reference.
Willis, meanwhile, was one of Tannehill’s backups for the better part of the past two years in Tennessee. He has started only three games since joining the league, all of which came during his rookie campaign in 2022.
Willis has thrown for 350 yards and 3 INTs across 12 career appearances and rushed the football 32 times for 144 yards and a score. He has never thrown for a touchdown as a professional.
If Willis struggles Sunday against Indy and/or gets injured, the Packers will presumably rely on 2023 fifth-round pick Sean Clifford, who until this weekend was a member of the practice squad.