The Real Reason the Cardinals Passed on Malik Willis is Obvious

The Arizona Cardinals are just two hours into NFL free agency frenzy and have already swung and missed on a top player.

Quarterback Malik Willis is reportedly signing with the Miami Dolphins on a three-year deal worth $67.5 million with $45 million guaranteed.

Willis was among the top ranked free agents thanks to a hot stint with the Green Bay Packers in recent years, a two-year stretch where he filled in admirably for Jordan Love and was efficient in the passing game while showing himself as a strong runner on the ground as well.

The Cardinals had plenty of money to pursue Willis, though the reasons he chose Miami over Arizona were pretty clear.

Why Cardinals Didn't Sign Malik Willis

Feb 3, 2026; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort at a press conference at the Cardinals training facility. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Money.

It's not the salary north of $20 million that likely scared Arizona off, but more so the $45 million guaranteed was a steep admission price for a quarterback with just three starts in the last three years.

NFL insider Connor Hughes says the Cardinals were indeed interested in Willis.

"The Cardinals had interest here. The price was simply too rich for them. I'd expect Arizona to continue to try to lure Jimmy Garoppolo from the Rams," he wrote on X.

Garoppolo is certainly a name to watch thanks to his extensive working experience under new Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur.

Garoppolo is also expected to come much cheaper than Willis on the open market while adding competition in the room to quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who started for the Cardinals in every game after Week 5 last season.

It never felt like Ossenfort was set to spend big on Willis, especially after watching him fail as part of the Tennessee Titans' front office. He even spoke about it at the combine:

"Yeah, I don't really want to get into evaluations of specific players. Malik did a great job when he went in there for Green Bay this year. I was with Malik for a short time there in Tennessee, had a great college career coming out. So he's one of the quarterbacks that's available. We'll evaluate all our options, whether it's free agency, the draft, with that position, with every position. And we'll be prepared to do what's best for the team," said Ossenfort.

Shelling out more than minimal money with Brissett already under contract, to a quarterback with a wildly limited sample size as a starting quarterback, never felt realistic for the Cardinals.