The 2026 NFL Scouting Combine isn’t all about the upcoming draft. The weekly NFL gathering in Indianapolis is also the precursor to the start of free agency, which comes weeks before April’s draft. That means lists and rankings of players who are no longer under contract fly off the presses.
The NFL’s own website produced its list of the top 101 free agents, and the name at the top might surprise most fans. NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal places Green Bay Packers backup quarterback Malik Willis above all others as the most prized free agent of the 2026 offseason.
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Dec 27, 2025; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis (2) runs the ball during the third quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Kayla Wolf-Imagn Images
Willis has played in just 22 games over the last four NFL seasons. He entered the NFL as a third-round selection by the Tennessee Titans in the 2022 NFL Draft. The Titans traded Willis to the Packers rather than cutting him at the 2024 roster reduction deadline, getting a seventh-round pick in return.
Why Malik Willis?
Now, a player handed away less than two years ago for a throwaway draft pick is the most coveted player on the NFL free agent market despite starting just three games in those last two seasons for Green Bay. Willis did play impressively in those brief appearances. The Liberty product completed 78.7 percent of his pass attempts and threw six touchdowns against zero interceptions. The 26-year-old also ran for over 100 yards in just 98 offensive snaps in 2025 for Green Bay.
It’s that dual-threat promise and relative youth that help make Willis appealing. A perceived poor 2026 NFL Draft class at quarterback, where the depth behind top prospect Fernando Mendoza is almost universally questioned, boosts Willis’ value for teams desperate for a change at quarterback.
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Mar 3, 2022; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Liberty quarterback Malik Willis (QB16) goes through a drill during the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
One of those teams could be the Miami Dolphins, and there is a strong connection to Willis in Miami. The Dolphins new management regime, helmed by former Packers at both GM and head coach, brought in the man who drafted Willis in Tennessee, Jon Robinson, as a senior personnel executive. Miami still has longtime starter Tua Tagovailoa under contract, though his future with the Dolphins is quite up in the air.
Willis figures to have other suitors as well. Rosenthal’s list features just one other quarterback in the top 60 free agents: Daniel Jones, a journeyman coming off a torn Achilles that prematurely ended what was brewing as a very nice comeback season with the Indianapolis Colts. Between the dearth of draft depth and underwhelming free agency options, it’s easy to see why a team might take a big swing on the relatively unproven Willis.
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