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Following the Miami Dolphins’ 7-10 season, which saw the team dismiss the general manager and head coach, plenty of questions arose about the future of the organization. Now, the Dolphins have hired former Packers vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan as their new general manager. Miami’s search for its new head coach seems to be coming to an end, as reports indicate that Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley is the frontrunner for the job.Once the head coach hiring is done and made official, Miami’s biggest remaining question mark is the quarterback position. Tua Tagovailoa has been the Dolphins’ starting quarterback since the 2021 season, and while he faced plenty of doubts in his time with Miami, his starting job never came into question before a season. That all changed in the 2025 season as he was benched in favor of rookie seventh-round pick Quinn Ewers following Tagovailoa’s disappointing play. Miami Dolphins Linked to Free Agent Quarterback View this post on Instagram Tagovailoa is still under contract with the Miami Dolphins and has $54 million guaranteed in the 2026 season. And yet, the Dolphins are expected to part ways with the Pro Bowl quarterback. Despite the previous reporting, new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan has not commented on the future of Tua Tagovailoa with the team, but he was not mentioned as one of the players Sullivan viewed as building blocks for the franchise. With the Dolphins hiring a general manager with a Packers background, and things pointing towards Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley being named the new head coach, acquiring a quarterback who’s been in the Packers system makes sense. Sports Illustrated’s Alain Poupart was asked about the idea of Miami going after free-agent quarterback Malik Willis.He responded saying, “It’s a pretty reasonable leap to say the Dolphins will go after Malik Willis, but not sure they’ll be able to win a bidding war for his services.”Willis has been the Packers’ backup quarterback the previous two seasons. He has started three games for the Packers while starting quarterback Jordan Love was out with an injury. As a Packer Willis went 70-for-89 for 972 passing yards, six touchdowns and zero interceptions. He also added 261 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns.Willis’ Upcoming Free AgencyWillis was once a highly touted prospect coming into the league. Ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft, ESPN analyst Mina Kimes described Willis as “The only quarterback in this class with special, special traits. Yes, he has a lot of work to do in terms of processing and running a pro-style offense, but he has time!” Willis was eventually selected in the third round by the Tennessee Titans. Things did not pan out for Willis with the Titans as he was traded after two seasons in exchange for a seventh-round pick.The new Dolphins general manager was a member of the Packers front office, when Green Bay traded for Willis. Willis turned his career around in Green Bay, so much so that he might have played his way out of Miami’s price range. With the Dolphins having to pay Tagovailoa’s 2026 salary, the team may opt to avoid going after a high priced quarterback. According to Forbes, Willis is expected to land a deal in the $25-$30 million per year range. Like Heavy Sports's content? Be sure to follow us. This article was originally published on Heavy SportsThe post Dolphins Could Make Surprise Quarterback Move This Offseason appeared first on Heavy Sports.

There’s a level of trust J.J. McCarthy must gain back if he is going to be the Minnesota Vikings‘ starting quarterback next season, and if not, there is an ideal veteran who has a history with Kevin O’Connell waiting in the wings.General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell were non-committal on McCarthy remaining the starting quarterback next season in their end-of-year news conferences. O’Connell emphasized the importance of having a deep quarterback room and his desire for competition.Meanwhile, Adofo-Mensah pivoted to team success when asked about McCarthy’s prospects of starting next season.“I want the Vikings to achieve our goals, and I think one of those goals is to make playoff runs and do different things like that. I think [McCarthy] has the character and ability to be the person and do that for our organization. If I say that in 2026, that kind of binds us into a certain area,” Adofo-Mensah said on January 13. “The way we’ve set this team up, we built this corridor, really like we’ve always talked about, give ourselves multiple shots at it, because you never know when there’s going to be a year where the field feels a little bit wide open and you can make that run.“So, that’s what we’re really focused on talking about. Whether it’s this year or next year isn’t really my immediate reflection. It’s my job to really bring that deep, competitive room that we’ve talked about to the Vikings.”Several names have begun circling the Vikings fan lexicon, and while some require far-fetched, blockbuster deals that would shake the NFL, there is one quarterback who has familiarity with O’Connell and is coming off a season that would be ideal for the Vikings to replicate.Marcus Mariota Deemed an Ideal QB to Pair With Vikings’ JJ McCarthy GettyWashington Commanders QB Marcus Mariota reacting after an NFL game. Playing quarterback matchmaker, Sportsnaut’s Matt Johnson urged the Vikings to pursue Washington Commanders veteran Marcus Mariota in free agency.“The Minnesota Vikings are not going to pursue a quarterback who would be viewed as a serious challenger to J.J. McCarthy in training camp. What Kevin O’Connell wants is a veteran who can, if needed, come off the bench and play effectively within the structure of the offense,” Johnson wrote.“Look at what Marcus Mariota has done in the last two seasons when Jayden Daniels was sidelined. Across 14 games, he posted a 93.4 passer rating with a 14-7 touchdown-to-interception line, a 63.8 percent completion rate and 7.6 yards per attempt. Plus, he offers rushing ability. He is an ideal and cost-effective option for Minnesota. If McCarthy struggles early next season, the offense could improve with Mariota under center.”Mariota played eight games this season in Washington with Daniels out. And while the 2-6 record is far from encouraging, the Vikings have shown to have the offensive infrastructure to prop up veteran quarterbacks who can operate a higher-level of O’Connell’s offense.Other Vikings Veteran QB CandidatesAppraising the upcoming quarterback market, ESPN’s Kevin Seifert gave his thoughts on who the Vikings could target this offseason.Seifert discounted the likelihood that Joe Burrow or Daniel Jones could land in Minnesota, but below that tier of quarterbacks are veterans who could be content taking a back seat to McCarthy, but also catch fire if given a chance to start.“Green Bay Packers backup Malik Willis, who has started six games in four seasons, is a pending free agent but is likely to have multiple suitors. The Atlanta Falcons could release former Vikings starter Kirk Cousins, 37, in mid-March. Aaron Rodgers, 42, and Joe Flacco, 41, will be free agents. So will Jimmy Garoppolo, who has started seven games in the past three seasons, and Russell Wilson, who is 37 and ranks No. 32 in NFL QBR since the start of the 2021 season,” Seifert wrote.The following quarterbacks would likely push more competition in training camp.“The San Francisco 49ers‘ Mac Jones and the Las Vegas…