Why the Dolphins Should Sign Malik Willis Next Offseason (And Why It's Not That Simple)

The Miami Dolphins will likely turn the page at quarterback this offseason, and one of the more interesting options on the free agent market just had a breakout game on a big stage.

Green Bay Packers QB Malik Willis performed incredibly well Saturday night against the Baltimore Ravens. He completed 85% of his passes for 288 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions.

He also added nine carries for 60 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. This game was really just the culmination of Willis’ slow upward trajectory since joining the Packers a few seasons ago.

We’ve already covered most of the Dolphins’ quarterback options at the pro level and why trading up for a good quarterback in the 2026 NFL draft might be challenging.

That’s why we think the Dolphins should be major players in Willis’ market this offseason.

What Makes Malik Willis a Good Bet for the Dolphins?

The answer to this question is pretty simple: Upside.

The Dolphins haven’t had a quarterback with physical upside in a long time. When Tua Tagovailoa was playing well in 2022 and 2023, it was in spite of not having good movement skills or arm talent.

Willis has both of those things in spades. If you watched his performance against the Ravens, you would’ve seen a player capable of driving the ball downfield and throwing outside the numbers with velocity into tight windows.

As for his movement skills, Willis came into the league as a dynamic runner, and it has shown up throughout his limited professional reps. He can avoid sacks — and keep his eyes downfield, which he didn’t do in college — and beat defenses beyond the line of scrimmage.

If the Dolphins want to compete against good teams late in the season, they need a quarterback who can create for themself. Willis has the physical skill set to do that.

All of that is great, but what makes Willis specifically appealing is that he’s seen real growth at the NFL level already. Everything written above could also apply to Anthony Richardson, but he hasn’t gotten meaningfully better in the NFL.

Willis has — he was a disaster with the Tennessee Titans, but he’s spent years learning behind Jordan Love and from a great coach in Matt Lafleur. Willis’ accuracy has gotten better, his pocket presence has taken a massive jump, and his mechanics are cleaner.

Of course, Willis has weaknesses. His middle-of-the-field work isn’t ideal, and the body of work is still limited. It’s also fair to ask just how effective he’ll be outside of Green Bay.

But with no risk, there’s no reward. Willis has the ingredients of a starting-caliber quarterback, and there are so very few options who check that box this offseason.

Can the Dolphins Afford Malik Willis?

This is naturally the next question that comes up when talking about the Dolphins signing Willis this offseason.

The Dolphins can afford Willis if they want to — creating cap space isn’t remotely difficult, and the Dolphins have more wiggle room than some would have you believe. They won’t be flush with cash or anything along those lines, but Miami has avenues to freeing up space this offseason.

Cutting Tyreek Hill and Bradley Chubb frees up a lot of money, and the team can extend players like Jordyn Brooks and Aaron Brewer to create more cap space in 2026. There are also players like James Daniels and Austin Jackson with no guaranteed money for next season.

Yes, the Dolphins can still find space even when releasing Tua Tagovailoa with a post-June 1 designation. Teams can always find money for the current season (the Eagles and Saints are great examples).

Miami’s cap situation is far from ideal, and it won’t be a major player in free agency, but it could look pretty similar to last year’s class. A lot of short-term deals to younger players with some upside — one of which could be Willis.

Two deals signed last offseason give us a decent picture of a potential market for Willis. The first is Daniel Jones’ one-year, $14 million contract, and the second is Justin Fields’ two-year, $40 million contract.

The latter looks like a big number, but there’s a lot of fake money in that deal. Fields’ cap hit was just $8 million in 2025, a more than affordable number.

Willis will have a lot of suitors, so the price could get driven up. However, his market might not get as crazy as some believe because he's still somewhat of an unknown.

Why a Bridge QB Is the Best of Both Worlds

Ultimately, the reason we’re advocating for Willis so heavily is that signing him doesn’t prevent the Dolphins from building through the draft.

Miami is likely out of range of the top quarterback prospects, meaning it would require a massive trade-up that includes capital from this year and next year’s treasure chest of assets.

Signing Willis might require some savvy cap work, but the cap goes up every year, and the Dolphins will shave a ton of dead cap off their books after 2026.

Signing Willis to a one-year deal worth somewhere in the $12-15 million range allows the team to take a genuine swing at a franchise quarterback while maintaining its five top-100 picks in 2026 and all of its picks in 2027.

If Willis is a disaster, the team can still pivot to Quinn Ewers or perhaps a quarterback it selected with the picks it kept by not trading up. Additionally, Miami probably has a worse record than this season in this scenario, putting them in a better spot to select a quarterback at the top of the draft.

As long as Miami is smart about Willis’ deal, there’s really no downside.

They keep future flexibility and assets, while signing an ascending, young player with excellent tools to a prove-it deal.

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