With free agency and the new league year commencing in a couple of weeks, quarterback Malik Willis is positioned to be the most coveted asset on the open market. The former third-round pick of the Tennessee Titans has spent the last two seasons with the Green Bay Packers as Jordan Love’s backup, but he has stepped in several times and excelled.
Multiple teams need a quarterback, and with a weak draft class at the position looming, some may be willing to engage in a bidding war for Willis’ services.
Malik Willis Ranks at the Top of Several Teams’ Shopping Lists
In an appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show,” ESPN’s Benjamin Solak listed the New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, and Miami Dolphins as the teams that make the most sense for Willis. “I don’t think Willis is going to get insanely overpaid, but it’s not a year to walk into the draft needing a quarterback,” Solak said. “I can’t stress that enough.”
.@BenjaminSolak believes the Jets, Browns, Cards, and Dolphins will be the teams heavily pursuing Malik Willis in free agency 🏈
(via @richeisenshow) pic.twitter.com/xqmWBeUkro
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) February 23, 2026
The Browns are in the midst of a quarterback carousel after Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders all started games for them last season. There’s also the expectation that Deshaun Watson will potentially return from his torn Achilles tendon in the near future. Nevertheless, the Browns may want more stability at the position, and Willis could certainly provide that.
The Jets, meanwhile, signed former first-round pick Justin Fields to a two-year contract last spring. He’s entering the final year of his deal, but an uninspiring, injury-plagued campaign left head coach Aaron Glenn wanting more out of his signal-caller.
The Cardinals are expected to release Kyler Murray for contractual reasons. The former 1st overall pick is likely to have played his last down in Arizona, and, in the eyes of many, a divorce appears to be on the horizon.
Murray is coming off a year in which he was shelved for the majority of the campaign, paving the way for his backup, Jacoby Brissett, to take the reins. He did so valiantly, throwing 23 touchdowns to just 8 interceptions to go along with 3,366 yards across 12 starts. The Cardinals, however, were 1-11 in those games.
As for the Dolphins, the connections with Willis are obvious. Jon Eric-Sullivan was just hired as the team’s next general manager after ascending the ranks in the Packers’ front office over the last two decades.
He then hired Jeff Hafley as the Dolphins’ next head coach after he spent the last two years coordinating the Packers’ defense. Tua Tagovailoa, another former first-round pick, is expected to be released as the regime moves forward.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst flipped a seventh-round pick to the Titans for Willis in the summer of 2024 and, depending on the contract he receives in free agency, could see that blossom into a third-round compensatory pick. Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt didn’t do enough to secure the No. 2 job behind Love, so Gutekunst stabilized the role with a reclamation project in Willis.
Over the last two seasons, Willis has started three games for the Packers and appeared in multiple after Love exited due to injury. He’s completed just over 79% of his passes for 972 yards, six touchdowns, and no interceptions; he added another 261 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
During the two seasons he spent in Tennessee, Willis started three games, but appeared in 11, throwing three interceptions without a single touchdown. The time he spent in the Packers working with renowned quarterbacks coach Tom Clements and Sean Mannion, who was hired as the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive coordinator last month, rejuvenated Willis’ career.
