On Sunday, the Miami Dolphins will begin their regular season as they take on the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.
The game will mark Malik Willis’ first Week 1 game as an NFL starting quarterback. While Willis spent time with the Tennessee Titans and the Green Bay Packers, he was never a team’s starter heading into a season.
With the Titans, Willis was seen as the quarterback of the future, but after struggling in limited appearances, the team moved on and invested in Will Levis. Willis was then traded to the Green Bay Packers, where he developed and turned into a strong backup for Jordan Love. His performances with the Packers led the Dolphins to sign him to a three-year, $67 million contract.
Now, a former Packers teammate of Willis, who joined the Las Vegas Raiders last season, had some words for Willis as the two get set to face off in Week 1.
Raiders Cornerback Sends Message to Miami Dolphins Quarterback Malik Willis
Dolphins Wire’s Mike Masala wrote that Raiders cornerback Eric Stokes was “overly proud” of Miami Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis.
Stokes said of Willis, “(Willis) is my dog, man. I trained with Leek back in Atlanta. I was with him up for two years in Green Bay and all that stuff. So Leek, man, I’m overly proud for everything that he done. Because I done seen the type of work that he put in. Especially them two, three years up in Green Bay. And then just waiting for his time and all that stuff. They didn’t really gave him a fair shot in Tennessee. He worked his tail off his three years up in Green Bay.”
The Raiders cornerback added that he wished Willis success; however, not this Sunday, saying, “Now he done got a shot for real again and all that stuff. And I’m just overly happy for him and I can’t wait. I just pray that, I mean, pray that he don’t good versus us. But versus everybody else, I pray that he do amazing and all that stuff. Because I just want to see the best for him.”
Eric Stokes was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the 2021 NFL Draft. He spent four seasons with the Packers before signing a three-year, $30 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders prior to the 2025 season.
Miami Dolphins Head Coach Comments on Willis
Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley is likely not surprised that a former teammate of Willis has such strong words for the quarterback.
Hafley said of Willis’ leadership skills, “I think that goes to anybody who’s ever talked to him, you can feel that quiet leadership about him. He has a special way to connect with the players in his own way. Sometimes it’s vocally, sometimes it’s behind the scenes and I think a lot of it too is his work ethic and the work he put in.”
Additionally, Hafley spoke of Willis’ journey, “If you think about it, I just think it’s a really cool example of a guy who really started out rocky in his career, didn’t really go very well, was traded to another team, was the backup, and now here he is as a captain. So I think it’s a cool message for everybody who’s on our team right now about being persistent, putting in hard work, being true to yourself, and it doesn’t always happen right away.”
Raiders $30 Million Starter Sends Strong 2-Word Message to Dolphins’ Malik Willis