Matt LaFleur: It’s clear that Jordan Love is our “franchise quarterback”
Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Sunday that he still hasn’t decided whether the starters will play in the meaningless regular-season finale. It is therefore possible that Malik Willis will start for a second consecutive week.
Despite the way Willis played Saturday against the Ravens, LaFleur made it clear the Packers don’t have a quarterback controversy. Jordan Love is the team’s starter and will be once he completes concussion protocol.
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“I want to put the brakes on this,” LaFleur said Sunday, via ESPN’s Rob Demovsky. “I think Jordan Love plays some pretty high level football, and it’s great that we feel the same way about Malik in his ability to go there. I thought he had two really back-to-back outstanding performances. So we’re in a good place with that position, we definitely have a lot of confidence in both of those guys, but clearly Jordan is our franchise quarterbackand when he is healthy, he will be our starter. So I just want to crush all of that. »
Willis left the game after aggravating his right shoulder injury in the fourth quarter, but not before completing 18 of 21 passes for 288 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 60 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries.
LaFleur said he expects Willis to be able to play Sunday if the Packers hold up against Love or if Love remains in the concussion protocol.
Love will undergo additional testing later in the week, LaFleur said.
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Willis played in 11 games, with three starts, during his two seasons in Green Bay, completing 78.7 percent of his passes for 972 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions. The Packers, however, invested heavily in Love, the 26th overall pick in 2020.
Love, who has 3,381 passing yards, 23 touchdowns and six interceptions this season, has $49.9 million guaranteed for 2026, while Willis is set to hit free agency in March.
The Packers are locked into the seventh seed, unable to improve their seeding in Week 18, so Willis could play against the Vikings. But he won’t take Love’s job and will likely leave to try his luck in 2026.
