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The Dolphins are expected to go after Malik Willis
The Miami Dolphins find themselves once again in search of a quarterback. After a Pro Bowl season in 2023 by Tua Tagovailoa, the team thought they had their franchise quarterback. They gave Tagovailoa a four-year $212.4 million contract. Two years into that contract, the Dolphins have benched Tagovailoa and are expected to part ways with him this offseason.
The people in charge of giving that contract to Tagovailoa have since been fired. Ultimately, signing Tagovailoa to that extension instead of having him play on his fifth-year option may have cost them their jobs. His contract seemingly locked the Dolphins into having Tagovailoa as their starter through the 2026 season. Now, as we head toward the 2026 season, all signs seem to point to the Dolphins moving on from him, despite the fact that releasing him would set an NFL record in dead money.
The important thing is the Dolphins are once again in the quarterback business and there’s a new favorite for the job.
Miami Dolphins Likely to add Free Agent Malik Willis
NFL insider Simon Clancy was discussing the Dolphins’ offseason on the 3 Yards Per Carry Podcast, and they approached the subject of Jeff Hafley doing the NFL media rounds. In particular, they spoke about his appearance on the Schrager Hour with Peter Schrager, in which Hafley revealed that the team had a plan for the quarterback position but would not speak about it publicly. That led Clancy to believe that Hafley was speaking about free agent Malik Willis. He said it was an “extremely likely” situation that he ended up with the Dolphins.
Willis is a former third-round draft pick with the Titans who failed to live up to his status as a prospect as he was traded for a late-round pick after two seasons. In two years with the Packers, Willis displayed the tools that led him to be drafted in the top three rounds. In his few appearances, he showed off his dual-threat ability with superb mobility and arm strength.
The men in charge of making the decisions for the Dolphins saw that firsthand. Jeff Hafley was the Packers defensive coordinator these past two seasons, and worked with Willis while he was the scout team quarterback. Meanwhile, general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan served as the Packers vice president of player personnel, and was a part of the Packers front office when they traded for Willis.
Miami’s Chances of Landing Willis
What the market for Willis will be remains to be seen. It is entirely possible that Jeff Hafley and the rest of the Dolphins’ primary decision-makers believe Willis to be the answer to their quarterback problems, but are simply outbid.
Talented quarterbacks with high upside rarely hit free agency, and when they do, they tend to capitalize financially. Although Willis did not have the draft pedigree of Sam Darnold, Willis and Darnold were both physically talented quarterbacks who failed with their first team. Darnold had the benefit of being a starter for an entire season with the Dolphins, while Willis started only three games in two seasons for the Packers. Previously, the last time the Miami Dolphins hired a former Packers coordinator as their head coach, many linked them to their free agent quarterback Matt Flynn who had impressed in a regular season game against the Lions. Although on that occasion Flynn visited the team, they did not match Seattle’s bid for the Packers quarterback.
Jose Esquer Jose Esquer is a Mexican-American sportswriter and communications student based in San Diego, CA. His work spans football, basketball, baseball, and soccer. He has written for platforms like RotoWire and DolphinsTalk. You can find him on Twitter/X @JEsquer8, usually talking Dolphins, world football, or both. More about Jose Esquer
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