Miami Dolphins Eye Familiar Face in Malik Willis as Quarterback Search Heats Up
The Miami Dolphins have officially turned the page-and in doing so, they’ve cracked open the Green Bay Packers playbook.
With the hiring of former Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley as their new head coach, and GM Jon-Eric Sullivan also arriving from Green Bay, the Dolphins are clearly leaning into a new identity. And that identity is looking more and more like Packers South.
But the coaching staff isn’t the only thing Miami might be importing from Wisconsin.
The Dolphins are staring down a major question at the game’s most important position: quarterback. After a rocky 2025 season, it’s clear that the Tua Tagovailoa era is coming to a close in Miami. Rookie Quinn Ewers showed some flashes late in the year after Tua was benched, but putting the full weight of a season on a seventh-round pick with limited experience is a gamble few front offices are willing to take.
Enter Malik Willis.
The former Liberty standout, now a pending free agent, quietly rebuilt his reputation in Green Bay. After a rough start to his NFL career in Tennessee-where he struggled to find rhythm and consistency-Willis was dealt to the Packers for a seventh-round pick ahead of the 2024 season. That move didn’t exactly make headlines at the time, but it might end up being one of the more underrated trades of the past few years.
In limited action over the last two seasons, Willis showed real growth. He went 2-1 as a starter and, on a per-snap basis, even outperformed Jordan Love in some key areas.
The sample size is small, sure, but the tools are undeniable. He’s got a live arm, high-end athleticism, and the kind of playmaking ability that jumps off the screen.
This isn’t your typical backup putting up empty numbers in garbage time-Willis looked like a quarterback who, with the right structure, could take the next step.
That’s where Miami’s new leadership comes in.
No team is better positioned to evaluate Willis than the Dolphins. Hafley and Sullivan know exactly what they’re getting.
They’ve seen him up close. They’ve seen the work ethic, the locker room presence, and the flashes of brilliance.
If anyone knows how to maximize his potential, it’s the group now running the show in South Florida.
Of course, there’s the matter of the Dolphins’ cap situation. It’s tight.
Any deal for Willis would require some creative maneuvering. But if Miami wants to avoid spinning its wheels in 2026, they need to find a quarterback with real upside.
And with no clear-cut options in the draft outside of presumed No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza, the free agent market is thin on talent. Willis might be the only available QB who brings both starter potential and familiarity with the system Miami’s new staff wants to run.
It’s a risk, no doubt. But it’s the kind of calculated risk that could pay off big if the Dolphins believe Willis is ready for the moment. And given the Packers pedigree now embedded in the organization, there’s every reason to believe they just might.