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
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 Agency
Willis 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.
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