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Dolphins received an update on the Malik Willis situation
The Miami Dolphins made a flurry of roster moves on Jan. 16, as they released All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill, Pro Bowl pass rusher Bradley Chubb, and their top two free-agent additions of the 2025 offseason in James Daniels and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. However, their biggest move is yet to be made as the team has not taken any action regarding quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Reports about the Tua Tagovailoa situation seem to indicate the Dolphins are looking to trade the quarterback. However, they have found it to be difficult as teams do not want to trade for Tagovailoa, due to his large contract. If Miami is unable to find a trade partner, the expectation is the team will release him and set a new NFL record in dead money with his contract.
Miami’s moves seem to indicate long-term planning instead of hoping for an immediate fix to the team in an effort to compete for a playoff spot. Despite that, the team still needs to find a suitable replacement for Tagovailoa as the team’s starting quarterback, and it seems increasingly difficult that they will land their top target.
Miami Dolphins May Get Priced Out of Free Agent Quarterback
Ever since the Dolphins hired Jon-Eric Sullivan as their general manager and Jeff Hafley as their head coach, they have been linked with free agent quarterback Malik Willis. The trio spent the past two seasons together in Green Bay, and with Willis set to be a free agent, many around the league believe the Dolphins will be interested.
However, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport believes the situation may be complicated. While speaking on The Rich Eisen Show, he said, “Can they afford Malik Willis is an interesting question. Everyone in the world has said ‘Well, obviously he’s going to go to Miami. It’s the people who traded for him and know him well.’ And it’s like, I think Malik Willis is going to have a really, really good market. When he’s played, in some tough situations, he’s been really impressive. So, can they (Miami) find a way to keep him under the cap? I don’t know. Because they’re going to have competition. When you actually look at the money, that might be tough for Miami to do. They could do it, they got smart people, but it might be too big of a challenge.”
The Case Against Signing Willis to Miami
Reports from around the league seem to believe Willis will yield a contract similar to the one Justin Fields signed with the Jets, which was a two-year deal worth up to $40 million. If Willis were to command a higher contract, the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Chris Perkins made the argument against Miami signing Willis.
Perkins wrote, “I don’t favor signing Green Bay’s Malik Willis to a three- or four-year free-agent contract that gives him, say, $20 million or more a year (likely more). Willis only has six starts in four years. He’s unproven. Plus, Willis, who played for Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley in Green Bay, isn’t guaranteed to win the starting job. That means you’d basically have $20 million of dead money if he’s a backup.
It’d be wise for the Dolphins to push their long-term quarterback decision to 2027. Get a bridge quarterback for 2026.”
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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