{"id":428291,"date":"2026-01-21T18:51:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T18:51:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/428291\/"},"modified":"2026-01-21T18:51:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T18:51:08","slug":"analyzing-the-competition-for-malik-willis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/428291\/","title":{"rendered":"Analyzing the Competition for Malik Willis"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Miami Dolphins figure to be in on Green Bay Packers free agent QB Malik Willis this offseason.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

They\u2019ve hired GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and HC Jeff Hafley away from the Packers, and it would be fairly surprising if Hafley doesn\u2019t bring a few Packers offensive assistants with him to South Florida.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, while it\u2019s easy to connect the dots to Willis playing in Miami next season, the Dolphins will have a lot of competition for the young signal caller. There are a lot of teams in the QB market, and Willis is the only young, high-upside free agent on the market.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Combine that with a weak quarterback class in the 2026 NFL draft<\/a>, and you\u2019ve got a supply that doesn\u2019t meet demand.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Who will the Dolphins\u2019 top competition for Willis be? Let\u2019s dive in.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh Steelers\u00a0<\/p>\n

For the first time in almost two decades, the Steelers won\u2019t have Mike Tomlin as head coach. And one reason he likely decided to step away is that Pittsburgh hasn\u2019t found a long-term option at quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger\u2019s retirement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Aaron Rodgers seems more likely than not to retire this offseason, and Pittsburgh would then enter the QB market full steam ahead. Whoever Pittsburgh hires as head coach should give us some indication about how much rebuilding it\u2019s trying to do.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If the Steelers hire a young up-and-coming coach, it only makes sense to pair that person with a young up-and-coming quarterback like Willis.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Arizona Cardinals\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Cardinals are in a pretty similar spot to Miami. They will have a new head coach and a quarterback on a massive contract that they\u2019re likely to move on from this offseason.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kyler Murray wasn\u2019t a total bust in Arizona, but his injuries and inconsistent play seem to have worn thin for the Cardinals. Whether it\u2019s via trade or release, Arizona is expected to be in the QB market this offseason.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In that scenario, Willis likely would be the team\u2019s unquestioned starter for 2026 \u2014 no competition needed. If Arizona can put together a competitive offer, that might be extra appealing to Willis.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Minnesota Vikings\u00a0<\/p>\n

Outside of Minnesota, you don\u2019t hear much about the Vikings being in the quarterback market, but they absolutely will be. J.J. McCarthy can\u2019t stay healthy and didn\u2019t play particularly well when he was on the field this past season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kevin O\u2019Connell is heading into Year 5 without a single playoff win, and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah\u2019s draft history isn\u2019t overly impressive. Both of those guys are on the clock, so if they believe Willis is a meaningful enough upgrade, don\u2019t be surprised if they get aggressive.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For Willis, O\u2019Connell is an excellent QB developer, and he could stay in the NFC North and compete against the Packers twice a season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

New York Jets\u00a0<\/p>\n

No team suffered more from Dante Moore\u2019s decision to return to school in 2026. The Jets need a quarterback, and it doesn\u2019t look like they\u2019ll get one in the draft.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That immediately makes them a threat to bring Willis on board. The only real question on their side is whether they\u2019ll be spooked by what happened with Justin Fields last offseason.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Willis likely would require a similar deal, and there are some similarities in their strengths (athletic ability, arm talent). The Jets might not want to bet on another high-upside, unproven, young QB, but they also might not have a better option.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cleveland Browns\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Browns are in roughly the same spot as the Jets. They aren\u2019t in a position to get the top quarterback in the draft, but desperately need some life at the position.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t know who the Browns\u2019 head coach will be, so it\u2019s a bit hard to predict just how desirable this landing spot could be for Willis. That said, he\u2019s a clear upgrade over Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel.\u00a0The Browns also have Deshaun Watson on the roster, so he’s technically an option. <\/p>\n

However, I would be surprised if the Browns geniunely factor him into their QB plans this season beyond just having him on the roster. <\/p>\n

What\u2019s unclear is whether the Browns’ new head coach and returning GM, Andrew Berry, will prefer someone like Willis or to run it back with Sanders and Gabriel in a bid to better position themselves for a QB in 2027.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Other Teams to Watch\u00a0<\/p>\n

Indianapolis Colts: Daniel Jones might not be ready for a bit and is a free agent. Plus, Shane Steichen\u2019s track record with QBs is quite good.<\/p>\n

Atlanta Falcons: Kevin Stefanski\u2019s connection with Kirk Cousins means they might run it back with him, but pairing Willis\u2019 speed with Bijan Robinson and Drake London has to be at least worth a look.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

More Miami Dolphins Coverage<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Miami Dolphins figure to be in on Green Bay Packers free agent QB Malik Willis this offseason.\u00a0…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":428292,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[64,63,593,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-428291","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-nfl","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/428291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=428291"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/428291\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/428292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=428291"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=428291"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=428291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}