Malik Willis and the Miami Dolphins agreed in free agency to one of the most intriguing contracts of the NFL offseason.
The question after two weeks of the regular season, though, is whether it’s already proving to be a negative outcome.
In reality, it’s too early to make that call. Willis is operating in a Dolphins offense that features three rookie wide receivers, and another young pass catcher in Malik Washington, as its top-four on that depth chart.
He’s also learning a new system and simply trying to get acclimated to a new place.
Still, the results have been less than encouraging in the Dolphins’ 0-2 start.
Willis did run for a touchdown in Week 1, and he threw a meaningless 77-yard touchdown to Ryan Miller in the final minutes of Week 2.
His passing without that Miller TD was 13-for-22 for 120 yards, with the leading receiver outside Miller being Washington with four grabs for 43 yards. Willis for whatever reason only ran twice for six yards in Week 2, as well.
Malik Willis Contract Details
Willis signed with the Dolphins in March. He was a free agent after two years as the QB2 with the Green Bay Packers.
The deal he signed was officially for three years and $67.5 million, with $45 million of that being guaranteed.
The contract actually pays Willis not a ton in 2026 — his cap hit is just $5.7 million.
That rises to a cap hit of $26.0 million in 2027 and $27.0 million in 2028.
The base salary is only $1.2 million this season but is above $20 million in each of the next two seasons.
The Dolphins’ only real contractual out would come after the 2027 season, when if they moved on from Willis they’d take on about $13.4 million in dead cap and save about that amount of money off of their cap.
If Willis rides out the contract, he becomes a free agent in March 2029.
Tough Task For Dolphins Judging Willis
The part that’s tricky about this for Miami is they haven’t necessarily put Willis in a great position to succeed, and they might be hurtling toward the No. 1 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
Would they pick a quarterback in the top spot? Guys like Arch Manning and Dante Moore could end up calling their name, but they could also have the chance to draft superstar WR Jeremiah Smith from Ohio State, and he’s a Miami native.
It all depends on what they think of Willis, but judging him this season will be tough. The players he’s throwing to might be the least-proven receiving group in the NFL — and some would question their overall talent, too.
A larger body of work is needed, to be sure. But when in Green Bay, Willis looked like a starting-level NFL quarterback. The Dolphins signed him to a deal that suggested that. Now he’s hoping to get a real chance to prove that before Miami considers moving on.
Dolphins’ Malik Willis Contract Details in Question After 2 Weeks