Malik Willis’ dual-threat skill set is the direction the NFL, if not all of football, is headed.
Athletes masquerading as passers are football’s hottest new fad, and it’s seemingly here to stay like a Rolex watch.
However, Willis’ style, how he plays the game, wasn’t the reason the Miami Dolphins full-court pressed the former Green Bay Packers backup, making him one of the biggest earners in the first week of free agency.
Injecting HOPE in this fan base’s bloodstream was the motivator. That’s why Willis will become Miami’s first athletic quarterback since David Woodley.
That is what the Dolphins do well. They sell HOPE like nobody can.
HOPE sells tickets, and merchandise.
Management might change. The head coach might be replaced. But owner Steve Ross is still his big spending self, and Tom Garfinkel, remains the business-savvy CEO, which means the Dolphins need Willis to fill the HOPE tank in the opening chapter of this challenging rebuild.
If there’s one thing the Miami Dolphins franchise has mastered during the past two decades of mediocrity it’s selling HOPE.
But Miami is using an inexperienced quarterback, who had struggled on every level of the game with the exception of spot playing time the past two years, to do so?
“It happened when I was prepared,” Willis said when asked about Miami handing him the keys to South Florida’s NFL franchise after dumping a seemingly broken down Tua Tagovailoa.
“When I came into the league I wasn’t prepared. That’s not a knock on my coaches or myself. It was what it was coming from the system I came from,” Willis said, referring to playing his final collegiate seasons at Liberty University. “I’ve had a chance to learn for the last four years. I’ve gone through four different offenses, and seen a bunch of defenses. I’ve grown a lot, and I’m grateful for the opportunity.”
Willis’ next start will be his seventh of his NFL career.
His next pass will be the 156th in five seasons.
The next rushing attempt he makes will be his 75th, and the yard he gains will be his 406th.
Willis is far from a finished product, and he openly admits that. But the 26-year-old was the best of the quarterbacks who were available to the Dolphins, the talent that possessed the most upside.
Free agents such as Kyler Murray, Kirk Cousins, Jimmy Garoppolo, Joe Flacco are all on the downside of their careers, if not on their last lifeline.
Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, a Miami native, is likely untouchable because the Las Vegas Raiders will make him the first overall pick, and would request a king’s ransom in a trade, and every other enticing quarterback in this 2026 Draft — Alabama’s Ty Simpson, LSU’s Garrett Nessmeier and Penn State’s Drew Allar — are a massive role of the dice.
And if anyone was going to invest in Willis it should be new Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, and head coach Jeff Hafley, who both come from the Packers organization.
They both saw Willis practice for two years, consistently.
On Thursday Willis talked about consistently asking Hafley what he needed to do to improve his game on a regular basis when they were together in Green Bay, and praised his new head coach for not providing surface level answers.
Hafley used Willis to get his defense prepared for each week’s opponent, and there were instances where he had to strongly suggest to Willis to stop running around the field like a chicken with his head cut off, making throws from the pocket.
Willis had spent his entire career leaning on his athleticism, his quickness and elusiveness, which he used as a cheat code in football, and for him to take the next step as an NFL player he had to shed that habit and become more of a traditional passer.
The Dolphins are gambling on Willis continuing that evolution.
They have $45 million in guaranteed money, and the trust of the Dolphins fan base, riding on that HOPE.
But this isn’t just on Willis.
It’s on offensive coordinator Ryan Slowik to build an offense around Willis’ multifaceted skill set.
Willis must beat out Quinn Ewers, and any other quarterback Miami possibly might select in the 2026 NFL Draft class.
And Sullivan’s job is to put a better arsenal of talent around Willis than slot receiver Malik Washington and tight end Greg Dulcich, adding players who will complement speedy receiver Jaylen Waddle and Pro Bowl tailback De’Von Achane.
If Willis is good, the Dolphins will be begging him to take $45 million a year.
If he’s not, they will move on in 2027 (with a trade) or 2028 by doing what the Dolphins have been ineffective doing for two-plus decades, which is find a quarterback who can lead the franchise to playoff wins, and maybe a Super Bowl appearance, for next decade.
“I can’t see the future, but I know they will put in the work each and every day. I’ll try to do the same,” Willis said. “Whatever role, whatever leadership, whatever it is, they brought me in as a piece of the puzzle, and I’m grateful and honored to be a part of that.”
Let’s HOPE he’s not just grateful, but is actually GOOD.
This story was originally published March 12, 2026 at 4:36 PM.
