The Miami Dolphins have just entered a new quarterback era. Malik Willis signed in free agency this offseason from the Green Bay Packers, and he’s the unquestioned QB1 for the 2026 NFL season.
Will Willis be the starter beyond this year? That depends a lot on how he plays, but it also depends on who else could become available in the 2027 offseason — someone like Kyler Murray, for example.
That’s a name that Sports Illustrated national NFL writer Connor Orr threw out in a new article on Thursday.
Orr begins examining a bunch of quarterbacks who could move to new teams in the near- or medium-term future of their careers.
And unlike most of the QBs, for whom he names just a couple possible landing spots — with the Browns and Jets leading the way as landing spots who need quarterbacks — Orr sees Murray as someone who could go a lot of different places.
One of the teams Orr references: the Dolphins.
Kyler Murray 2026 Importance
This will be a crucial season for Murray, whether he’s going to have a long-term future with the Minnesota Vikings or not.
It’s his first NFL campaign away from the Arizona Cardinals, who cut him rather than pay him this offseason.
Murray latched on with the Vikings and won the starting job over J.J. McCarthy, which is a high-upside scenario in a Kevin O’Connell offense with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison to throw to.
If Murray looks like his best self, he’s going to earn himself a lot of money.
However, if he struggles and is potentially benched for McCarthy, his future is a lot less exciting.
“I’m still on the fence—but the thought experiment of whether he plays well and the team wins double-digit games is worth walking through,” Orr writes. “What do you pay a 30-year-old Murray in 2027, having seen him complete fewer than 10 games in two of his last three years leading up to his debut in Minnesota? And does that number align with Murray’s expectations after he reportedly took time this offseason assessing both his current market and the projected 2027 free-agent market?”
Kyler Murray to the Dolphins?
The Dolphins wouldn’t need Murray if Willis pans out.
But if it’s a big season for Murray in Minnesota, and a bad season for Willis in Miami, then maybe there’s a possibility there.
If that happens, the Dolphins will likely have some competition.
“Truly ‘unsettled’ quarterback situations—where you could safely argue that the next long-term answer is not on the roster—include the Jets, Dolphins, Cardinals, Browns, Saints, Steelers and Falcons, with the Titans, Giants and Colts probably a year away from wading into that conversation,” Orr writes. “That’s more teams than the 2027 draft class at its peak can reasonably replenish, which presents a continuation of a sound market for Murray if he can play well under O’Connell.”
It’s fair to think the Vikings would want to keep Murray if he plays well, but Minnesota doesn’t have the NFL’s easiest salary cap situation.
The Dolphins might not be the favorite to end up with Kyler, but apparently it’s a non-zero possibility.
Dolphins Have Path To Kyler Murray Replacing Malik Willis