Now that the calendar has flipped to March, the start of the new NFL year is just 11 days away. In the blink of an eye, the legal tampering window will open, free agents will be moving around fast and furious, and things will start to take shape for the 2026 season rather quickly.
One of those pending free agents who will generate a ton of interest is Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis. Though he hasn’t played a ton of football, his work in limited action in recent years with the Packers has impressed many around the league, making him one of the top quarterbacks on the open market this offseason.
He has made six NFL starts and has appeared in 22 games, attempting 155 passes. But in that brief action, he’s flashed a high-level arm and a dynamic ability to make plays with his legs. He could be in line to make more than $30 million per year as a free agent based on some pre-free agency buzz.
But for ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, many around the league will be surprised if that happens.
“Willis’ market has been a prominent topic this week. But a team offering him $30-plus million per year doesn’t appear realistic,” Fowler writes of Willis in his NFL Combine buzz file for ESPN.com. “Many front offices believe the more accurate comp is Justin Fields’ deal with the Jets last year (two years, $40 million). Could that jump up due to cap inflation and/or multiple suitors? Sure. A range of $20-25 million annually is certainly a good starting point.
“But Willis hitting the $30 million threshold as a player with six career starts would surprise some of the teams at the Combine.”
Last year, Justin Fields entered free agency having started just six games for the Pittsburgh Steelers during the 2024 season before being benched for Russell Wilson. Now, Fields did have significant starting experience in his previous three seasons with the Chicago Bears, but he hit free agency as a backup and landed a lucrative deal with the Jets at two years and $40 million.
Willis has even less experience, and considering Fields was an abject disaster with the Jets in Year 1 and will likely be cut before free agency, teams could be cautious about giving that type of money to a young quarterback. Still, the open market and the multiple teams’ desperate need at the position could drive his price tag up to that $30 million- per-year level.
Who those teams are remains to be seen.
The Steelers could theoretically be one of them, since they have a need at the position both in 2026 and long-term under first-year head coach Mike McCarthy. However, they’ve left the door open for Aaron Rodgers to return for a second season in Pittsburgh and appear to be satisfied with that.
According to Fowler, Willis will have a strong market, and that will include at least a trio of teams.
“Miami is definitely in,” a source said, Fowler writes. “Arizona is combing the market, too, but it doesn’t seem likely that Willis will end up in Cleveland.”
The ties with the Dolphins are clear, considering Miami’s new GM in Jon-Eric Sullivan came over from Green Bay, as did new head coach Jeff Hafley. Arizona needs to find an answer at QB, even amid the Kyler Murray situation, and first-year head coach Mike LaFleur could be enticed by Willis. Cleveland is interested in him too, according to Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, but with DeShaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders in the room, that seems unlikely to happen.
CBS Sports recently predicted that Willis signs a three-year, $90 million deal with the Steelers. That seems highly unlikely at this point. Chances are, he signs for around two years and $50 million with the Dolphins, giving them a chance to move on from Tua Tagovailoa.
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