March 10, 2026, 2:35 p.m. ET

On Monday, the NFL legal tampering began for teams to have a 52-hour window to negotiate with free agents. Whenever NFL free agency time comes, a big point of conversation is the quarterback. Former Auburn and Liberty quarterback Malik Willis is one of the top names to hit the market this offseason after playing well as Jordan Love’s backup in Green Bay. He is reportedly signing a three-year, $67.5 million contract with the Miami Dolphins.

There were several teams mentioned for Willis as the process began, but only two teams really made sense for the quarterback. The Dolphins are a fit due to their hiring Jon-Eric Sullivan as their new general manager after he had worked in the Packers’ front office since 2004. Miami also hired Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley as their new head coach. Both Sullivan and Hafley are familiar with Willis and the skillset he brings to the football field. The other good option for Willis would have been the Arizona Cardinals. The new head coach in Arizona is Mike LaFleur, who is the brother of Packers head coach Matt LaFleur. Mike runs an offense very similar to the one run in Green Bay and would have made an easy transition for Willis.

During his two seasons in Green Bay, Willis filled in for Love to start three games. He had a 2-1 record as a starter and appeared in 11 games for the Packers. In those three starts, he completed 80% of his passes for 612 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 174 yards and three touchdowns. Another key statistic is that in those three starts, Willis did not throw any interceptions. He showed great improvement in Green Bay’s system after struggling with the Tennessee Titans.

Willis played for Auburn in 2017 and 2018 under Gus Malzahn. He was a perfect fit for the style of offense Malzahn was known for, but was stuck as the backup to Jarrett Stidham. With Bo Nix committing to the Tigers in 2019, the best option for Willis would be to transfer. He would then join the Liberty Flames and show great potential under head coach Hugh Freeze. In his two seasons with Freeze at Liberty, Willis scored a combined 74 touchdowns and had a total of 6,944 yards. That led to him being drafted by the Titans in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

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