Malik Willis, Green Bay Packers
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Malik Willis #2 of the Green Bay Packers runs with the ball during the first half against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on November 16, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
The Miami Dolphins are in the midst of a full overhaul this offseason. They’ve parted ways with Mike McDaniel as head coach, cut Tyreek Hill, Bradley Chubb, and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, and are moving on from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
So, it’s time to start anew. Miami hired Jeff Hafley to be its new head coach after he spent the last two seasons as the Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator.
Now, Matt Bowen of ESPN is projecting that the Dolphins will sign free agent quarterback Malik Willis, who spent two seasons with Hafley in Green Bay.
Willis is the top free agent quarterback on the market after the Indianapolis Colts used their franchise tag on Daniel Jones to keep him. Willis’ contract projection according to Spotrac is two-years at $35.5 million per season.
Dolphins Tabbed as Landing Spot For Malik Willis
The last iteration of the Dolphins under McDaniel and Tagovailoa showed far too much inconsistency on offense, a trend the new regime will try to buck early. Willis would be a great step in the right direction for Miami on that front.
“New coach Jeff Hafley and new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan know Willis well from their shared time in Green Bay, and Willis could slot in as the new starter under [offensive] coordinator Bobby Slowik,” Bowen wrote. “Let’s envision a scheme built around motion/movement, with play-action elements woven in; that would set up Willis well as a thrower, and the QB run game would generate conflict for opposing defenses. Willis’ development in Green Bay creates upside for the Dolphins.”
If you didn’t watch Willis play last season in his short time on the field with Green Bay, I urge you to watch the highlights from that game before jumping to conclusions. On paper, spending $70+ million on a guy who has only ever started six NFL games is a crazy move, but Willis has been a victim of circumstance in each of his landing spots in the league so far.
Getting a QB on the market is also the best move for Miami, because without Tagovailoa, its options are Quinn Ewers or drafting a QB at No. 11 overall in a very weak draft class. Willis will only command two years, so if things don’t go well, it’s not like they’d be stuck with him long-term.
Making Sense of Dolphins’ Cap Space
The overhaul of players in Miami has freed up a lot of cap space, though eating Tagovailoa’s nearly $100 million in dead cap over the next two years will place a significant financial strain on the team. If Miami was to sign Willis, it would have to both defer much of his salary to year two and be okay with not signing anyone else in free agency.
They would also have to front load Tagovailoa’s payments in 2026. The Dolphins aren’t going to be a playoff team in all likelihood, so it makes the most sense to eat as much money as possible in 2026.
Signing Willis allows the team to restart their program, see what they have in him and the rest of the offense around him, and if things go well, he’s a guy to build around.
If not, well, they were expecting to suck anyway, so experimenting shouldn’t hurt anymore than keeping Tagovailoa would.