The Miami Dolphins landed their quarterback of the future at a price that defied expectations. Ian Rapoport reported Monday that Miami is signing Malik Willis to a three-year, $67.5 million contract with $45 million fully guaranteed, reuniting the former Packers backup with the coaches who developed him in Green Bay.
Malik Willis Outperformed His Price Point With the Green Bay Packers
Willis’ $22.5 million average annual value slots him 21st among starting quarterbacks, according to Over The Cap, placing him between Justin Fields ($20 million with the Jets) and Baker Mayfield ($33.3 million with the Buccaneers). That figure represents a significant discount from the $30 million-plus AAV that multiple insiders projected throughout the combine and legal tampering period.
The gap between Willis’ contract and his recent production tells the story of why the Dolphins view this as a value play rather than a gamble.
Across 11 appearances over two seasons with the Packers, Willis completed 70 of 89 passes (78.7 percent) for 972 yards with 6 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. His 134.6 passer rating during that stretch ranks among the most efficient samples in recent memory for any quarterback with comparable volume.
In 2024, Willis’ 124.8 passer rating on 54 attempts represented the highest single-season mark among quarterbacks with 50-plus attempts in NFL history. He also led the league in yards per attempt (10.19) that season among qualifying passers, the best mark since Gus Frerotte posted 10.62 for the Vikings in 2003.
Sources: The #Dolphins are signing #Packers QB Malik Willis, as a new QB has landed in Miami.
He gets a 3-year, $67.5M deal with $45M fully guaranteed in a contract negotiated by @DavidMulugheta of @AthletesFirst. pic.twitter.com/bhIpxV3UrK
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 9, 2026
The contrast with Willis’ tenure in Tennessee could not be starker. In 11 games with the Titans from 2022 to 2023, he completed just 53 percent of his passes with a 49.4 passer rating and threw 3 interceptions without a touchdown.
The Titans traded him to Green Bay in August 2024 for a seventh-round pick, a return that now looks like one of the league’s biggest steals.
How the Dolphins Made the Numbers Work
Miami’s path to Willis required navigating one of the league’s most complicated cap situations. The Dolphins announced a post-June 1 release of Tua Tagovailoa, spreading his dead money across two years: $67.4 million in 2026 and $31.8 million in 2027. That designation created enough breathing room to pursue Willis without mortgaging future flexibility.
The Packers connection played a central role. Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley both arrived from Green Bay this offseason, where they observed Willis’ development firsthand.
Sullivan acknowledged at the combine that “anyone in a needy QB situation” had discussed Willis, but familiarity with his growth clearly gave Miami an edge in negotiations.
Willis’ deal also reflects market realities that favored the Dolphins. The 2026 draft class lacked proven quarterback depth beyond Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, who projects as the Raiders’ No. 1 overall selection.
That scarcity drove Willis’ price projections higher throughout the offseason, yet Miami secured him at a price below those inflated expectations.
At 26 with only six career starts, Willis remains a bet on upside over track record. His contract places him in the “reclamation tier” of quarterback deals alongside Fields, well below the $33-plus million paid to Mayfield and Darnold after their breakout seasons.
If Willis plays at the level he showed in Green Bay, the Dolphins will have locked in franchise quarterback production at bridge-quarterback prices. If he struggles, the three-year term and $45 million guarantee provide reasonable exit points.
Miami enters 2026 with Willis, seventh-round pick Quinn Ewers, and the flexibility to add competition through the draft. For a franchise that just absorbed nearly $100 million in dead money from its previous quarterback, landing Willis at $22.5 million AAV represents the kind of value that rebuilds require.
