The Miami Dolphins have wasted no time making the transition in the quarterback position. Ahead of the new NFL league year, the team announced that they would release quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, ending the quarterback’s six-year tenure with the organization.
While many expected Miami not to be able to pursue one of the top free agent quarterbacks on the open market due to their salary cap situation, that has quickly proven to be false. According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, the Miami Dolphins have agreed to a three-year contract with free agent quarterback Malik Willis.
Miami’s interest in Willis is not unexpected, as general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan had previously been asked about the quarterback. Sullivan replied saying, “I think I’d be lying to you – any team that is in a needy QB situation, if they tell you they’re not talking about Malik Willis, that would be a lie… a lot of like for the human being, he’s a great kid.” With Willis joining the Dolphins, Miami will hope to have found its new franchise quarterback.
Miami Dolphins Sign Malik Willis
The Dolphins are taking a risk with Willis as his contract is reportedly worth up to $67.5 million with $45 million fully guaranteed. While Willis impressed over the past two seasons with the Packers, he made only three starts during his Green Bay tenure.
However, the Dolphins may have had the upper hand in terms of their experience with Willis, as general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan was a member of the Packers front office when the Packers acquired the quarterback. Additionally, head coach Jeff Hafley was the Packers defensive coordinator and worked closely with Willis these past two seasons.
Willis was ranked as the top free agent in the NFL by NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal. He wrote, “I see him as the most dynamic quarterback in football as a runner, and his tape in Green Bay showed incredible growth as a passer over his two years with Matt LaFleur. Despite his limited sample size, Willis jumped to the top spot of this ranking based on the same logic that applies to the NFL draft: If a potential franchise quarterback is good enough to be ranked in the top five of a list like this, then he should be placed first, by virtue of the position. The ceiling is the roof.”
Malik Willis Player Profile
With Willis, the Dolphins will have a dual-threat quarterback the team has not had in its history. The risk with signing Willis comes from his previously mentioned his lack of playing time. He’s thrown only 155 passes over the past four seasons; however, the upside is there. ESPN analyst Mina Kimes said of Willis, “He’s obviously got a cannon. He’s an incredible dual-threat quarterback. I think he’s best with a run game, which he will add to that so that he can get one-on-one’s on the outside.”
With the Dolphins, he’d be joining De’Von Achane, who had 1,350 rushing yards in 2025. Willis’ dual-threat ability would give the offense an added element in the run game that it did not have with Tagovailoa.
Willis has run for 40 or more yards in each of his last three starts, scoring three rushing touchdowns during that span. Tagovailoa has never run for 40 yards or more in a game.
Dolphins Sign Top Free Agent Quarterback in NFL Free Agency