I wouldn\u2019t do it.<\/p>\n
If I was Miami Dolphins new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan<\/a> or new coach Jeff Hafley<\/a>, I wouldn\u2019t sign Green Bay Packers backup quarterback Malik Willis to a multi-year free agent contract to be Miami\u2019s starter.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll find out in a matter of weeks what Sullivan, the former Green Bay vice president of player personnel, and Hafley, the former Packers defensive coordinator<\/a>, think of the athletic, 26-year-old Willis, who is eligible to become a free agent.<\/p>\n Free agency starts March 11.<\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to connect the Green Bay Packers dots: Sullivan comes to Miami, Hafley follows him<\/a> \u2014 and then Willis will follow both of them.<\/p>\n Willis, who Green Bay will likely try to keep, would be a two- or three-year commitment at maybe $15-$20 million a year, possibly more. The Dolphins, who are financially strapped<\/a> at an estimated $27 million over the projected 2026 salary cap, would have to get rid of players to shoehorn Willis onto the roster.<\/p>\n Willis, the 2022 third-round pick by the Tennessee Titans out of Liberty, has had a modest career so far. In four seasons \u2014 two with the Titans and two with the Packers \u2014 he has six touchdowns, three interceptions and a 98.9 passer rating in 22 games, with six starts, three for each team.<\/p>\n Last season he was 30 of 35 for 422 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and a 145.5 passer rating. It\u2019s a very small sample size after four seasons.<\/p>\n For me, that says, \u201cNo, thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n The Dolphins need a starting quarterback for 2026, but he doesn\u2019t necessarily have to be their franchise guy.<\/p>\n The Dolphins return quarterback Quinn Ewers<\/a>, the 2025 rookie seventh-round pick, and newly-signed Cam Miller, the 2025 undrafted rookie from North Dakota State. Former starter Tua Tagovailoa likely won\u2019t return<\/a>, which also seems likely for veteran backup Zach Wilson.<\/p>\n My wish is that the Dolphins take their time finding a quarterback.<\/p>\n Of course, I\u2019m not telling Sullivan or Hafley what to do.\u00a0<\/p>\n I\u2019ve merely got a humble suggestion regarding Willis and how the Dolphins should approach the offseason.<\/p>\n If Sullivan and Hafley like Willis, fine. Sign him. After all, they know him.<\/p>\n My main thing is for Sullivan and Hafley to have conviction.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sullivan showed conviction with Hafley.<\/p>\n Sean McDermott became available after he was fired as Buffalo Bills\u2019 coach on Monday, and Sullivan never flinched. Hafley remained his guy.<\/p>\n Hopefully it\u2019s the same with Willis, whatever decision is made.<\/p>\n The thing for the Dolphins to remember is they shouldn\u2019t just get a quarterback because he\u2019s familiar, and you think it\u2019ll make your 2026 season easier.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hitching your wagon to Willis, so to speak, could be along the lines of Tua to that contract extension in 2024 from the standpoint you\u2019re bound to that player, in sickness and in health.<\/p>\n Yes, reclamation projects of all sorts are going on in the NFL nowadays with varying levels of success.<\/p>\n But most of those recent guys \u2014 Seattle Seahawks\u2019 Sam Darnold, Tampa Bay Buccaneers\u2019 Baker Mayfield, Seattle\u2019s Geno Smith (when he was still with the Seahawks), Miami\u2019s Tagovailoa, Indianapolis Colts\u2019 Daniel Jones, etc \u2014 were starters earlier in their careers.<\/p>\n Willis has never been a starter.<\/p>\n The free agents expected to hit the market form a limited class. Trey Lance, the 25-year-old backup from the Los Angeles Chargers, could be a reclamation project.<\/p>\n Other than that, it\u2019s a collection of older guys such as the Washington Commanders\u2019 Marcus Mariota (32 years old) and Indianapolis\u2019 Jones (29\/coming off an Achilles injury).<\/p>\n