After a career resurgence in Green Bay, Malik Willis is heading into 2026 free agency with something he didn’t have just a couple of years ago - legitimate momentum. And not just as a backup or gadget player. We’re talking starting quarterback potential.
Willis filled in for Jordan Love over the past two seasons and looked like a completely different player than the one we saw early in his career. The numbers were solid - six touchdowns, no interceptions, and a completion rate north of 79% - but it was the way he played that really turned heads.
Confident, composed, and in command. He looked like a quarterback who finally found his footing.
Now, at 26 years old, Willis checks a lot of boxes for teams in need of a new signal-caller. He’s still young, he’s got the arm to make every throw on the field, and his athleticism remains elite. For quarterback-needy teams, that combination is hard to ignore - especially in a year where the draft class is thin at the position and the free agent market is even thinner.
One team that’s starting to come up more and more in connection with Willis? The Miami Dolphins. And the dots are easy to connect.
Miami brought in two former Packers this offseason - Jon-Eric Sullivan as general manager and Jeff Hafley as head coach. Both were in Green Bay during Willis’ revival, which means they’ve seen up close what he can do when put in the right system. Hafley, in particular, worked on the defensive side but would’ve had a front-row seat to Willis’ growth in practice and in limited game action.
FOX Sports’ Greg Auman even went as far as to predict that Miami will be Willis’ next stop. And given the current state of the Dolphins’ quarterback room, that prediction carries some weight.
Tua Tagovailoa’s time in Miami appears to be nearing its end. Reports indicate the Dolphins are actively exploring trade options for the former first-round pick, which would leave them with 2025 seventh-rounder Quinn Ewers as the only real option on the roster. Ewers showed flashes last season, but not enough to be handed the keys without competition.
Enter Willis.
He’s not going to command top-of-the-market money, but he’s also not coming cheap. Multiple league sources, including general managers cited in recent reports, believe Willis could land a deal in the neighborhood of two years, $40 million - similar to the kind of bridge contract Justin Fields is expected to get. That would likely include around $30 million guaranteed.
Is that a gamble? Sure.
Willis only has six career starts. But the upside is there, and for a team like Miami - retooling with a new front office and coaching staff - it might be the kind of calculated risk worth taking.
In a market starved for quarterback talent, Willis stands out. He’s not a finished product, but what he showed in Green Bay suggests he’s far from the raw project we saw earlier in his career. If the Dolphins are looking for a reasonably priced option who could grow into a long-term answer, Willis might just be their guy.
And if he ends up in Miami, don’t be surprised if he makes the most of it.