Dolphins sign free agent quarterback Malik Willis to 3-year deal

C. Isaiah Smalls II, Miami Herald on Mar 9, 2026

Published in Football

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MIAMI — The Miami Dolphins landed arguably the most intriguing free agent on the market.

Quarterback Malik Willis will sign a three-year, $67.5 million deal with the Dolphins, a source confirmed. Approximately $45 million is guaranteed. Willis will now reunite with both a newly hired general manager in Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach in Jeff Hafley, all of whom came from the Green Bay Packers.

“All you can do is do your part, hold guys accountable as well as hold yourself accountable,” Willis said of his new opportunity during Monday’s episode of the “Pat McAfee Show.”

This comes just hours after the Dolphins released Tua Tagovailoa, a six-year starter and former No. 5 overall pick from 2020.

Despite just six career starts, the quarterback has garnered wide praise as one of the best players in this free agent class due to his more polished play since the Tennessee Titans, the team that initially drafted him in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft, sent him to the Packers for a seventh-round pick in 2024. Across his three starts in Green Bay during the past two seasons, Willis completed roughly 80% of his passes for 612 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for another 174 yards and three touchdowns on just 21 attempts.

“It was my first time being in a system for more than a year since [I’ve] been in the league, so I felt just that much more comfortable being able to do whatever it takes to get the job done,” Willis said of his improved play.

The rumors surrounding Willis and the Dolphins began the very day Miami hired Sullivan and Hafley. Obviously the trio has the Green Bay connection, but the relationship goes a bit further as Willis excelled as the scout team quarterback against Hafley’s defense.

“A lot of times he really couldn’t do what he does best because if we were playing a drop back guy, and he started scrambling, I’ll tell him ‘Hey you got to stay in the pocket. Stop scrambling. That’s not what we’re doing today,'” Hafley recalled. “And then if we were playing a scrambler, he could play his game and do his thing.”

Added Hafley: “Obviously, him and I have a really good relationship. He always did a really good job, and he gave us everything that he had.”

The Dolphins had even more connections with Willis upon signing defensive coordinator Sean Duggan and passing game coordinator Ryan Downard, both of whom saw Willis up close and personal while in Green Bay. Miami even recently hired a new senior personnel executive in Jon Robinson, the former Titans general manager who drafted Willis.

Still, many believed Willis played himself out of the Dolphins’ price range, something that Sullivan had even alluded to during his conversation with a small contingent of local media during the NFL Combine.

“Have we had conversations about Malik? I think anybody that is potentially in the quarterback market would be lying if they said they have not,” Sullivan said, later adding that “the reality of the situation is we have 30-plus unrestricted and restricted free agents. And we got eight picks as we sit here today and not a ton of money to do stuff in free agency. We have a bit of an uphill climb.”

That proved not to be the case as the Dolphins created just enough cap space during the past few weeks to land the coveted free agent. Now, Willis will join an offense that already features a few solid players in Pro Bowl tailback De’Von Achane, wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and left tackle Patrick Paul. With the former Packer now in line to be the clear-cut starting quarterback in South Florida, the Dolphins’s experiment becomes must-see television.

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