INDIANAPOLIS — The Green Bay Packers struck gold with Malik Willis. Now, they have to watch him walk away. Walking through the crowded halls of the NFL Scouting Combine this week, you can practically feel the desperation radiating from quarterback-needy executives. The icy Indiana wind outside is nothing compared to the cold reality facing teams without a franchise passer. Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst knows the math. He signed Desmond Ridder late last season and just added Kyle McCord on a futures deal. The Packers are out of the Willis business, purely because the open market is about to hand the backup quarterback a blank check.
Willis enters 2026 free agency as a massive target. He dominated in his limited action last season, completing an absurd 85.7% of his passes for 422 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions across four games. Factor in his 123 rushing yards on just 22 carries, and teams see a dynamic weapon ready for a starting job. Projections suggest Willis could command north of $30 million per season.
South Beach Shakeup: The Green Bay Connection
The Miami Dolphins are not just looking for a new quarterback; they are orchestrating a complete overhaul. New general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley are aggressively turning South Florida into South Green Bay. The previous regime under Mike McDaniel unceremoniously benched Tua Tagovailoa after a 6-8 start. Tagovailoa crumbled, throwing a career-high 15 interceptions before rookie seventh-rounder Quinn Ewers took over for the final two games.
Now, the Dolphins are stuck. They handed Tagovailoa a staggering four-year, $212.4 million extension in July 2024, mangling their salary cap. Yet, the interest in Willis is burning hot. Hafley knows Willis intimately, having watched him carve up the Packers’ starting defense every week in practice as the scout-team quarterback. The warmth of Miami is calling, and the front office is listening.
“Any team that is potentially in a needy quarterback situation, if they tell you they’re not talking about Malik Willis, that would be a lie.”
— Jon-Eric Sullivan, General Manager, Miami Dolphins
Desert Mirage or Reality?
Miami is far from the only suitor. The Arizona Cardinals are lurking, carrying their own deep ties to the Packers and Willis. Kyler Murray barely saw the field last season, playing a measly five games, and the writing is on the wall for his exit. Enter new Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur—brother of Packers coach Matt LaFleur—and general manager Monti Ossenfort. Ossenfort was the Titans’ director of player personnel when Tennessee drafted Willis in 2022.
Ossenfort played it cool at the podium, but the connection is obvious. The Cardinals have the draft capital and the motivation to wipe the slate clean. They need a bridge to the future, or perhaps, a redemption story of their own.
Playoff Implications / What’s Next
The entire power structure of the AFC East and NFC West hangs on where Willis signs. If Miami pulls the trigger, they must instantly engineer a cap-clearing trade for Tagovailoa—a massive financial hurdle. Landing Willis gives Hafley a familiar, dual-threat system fit to immediately challenge the Buffalo Bills. If Arizona strikes, Mike LaFleur gets a quarterback built for his timing-based, play-action heavy scheme, allowing the Cardinals to completely reset their franchise clock post-Kyler Murray.
The blueprint for this kind of career revival is already written. Look no further than Sam Darnold hoisting the Lombardi Trophy with the Seattle Seahawks just weeks ago in Super Bowl LX. Teams are chasing that exact magic. Willis survived the chaotic mismanagement of the Tennessee Titans early in his career and rebuilt his mechanics from the ground up in Green Bay. He transformed from a raw prospect into an incredibly efficient point guard. The team that signs him isn’t just getting a quarterback; they are investing in the league’s next great comeback story.
