The Malik Willis story was one of the most fascinating tales to follow this offseason. Reserved to being a backup for essentially his entire career, a strong performance in two starts last season earned him a ton of hype.
As a result, a lot of teams were willing to take a shot at his untapped potential, making him one of the most sought-after free agents in the market. On the first day of the legal tampering period, an official deal with the Miami Dolphins came through. Here’s everything you need to know about it.
What Is Malik Willis’ Contract?
Beginning his career with the Tennessee Titans after being drafted by them with the 86th overall pick in 2022, his first contract was the standard rookie affair. A four-year deal worth a little over $5 million, he was on an extremely team-friendly contract.
However, in 2024, he was traded to the Green Bay Packers for a seventh-round pick and became invaluable to them. Standing behind Jordan Love, he learned the ropes under one of the best head coaches in the league today, Matt LaFleur.
Last year, he got his shot to prove himself, starting two games when Love was out with an injury. Completing over 80% of his passes in both games, he threw for over 400 yards and two touchdowns, while adding two scores and over 100 yards on the ground as well.
As a result, his value was at an all-time high, with a ton of quarterback-needy teams showing interest in the relative unknown. But on the first day of legal tampering, it was the Dolphins who walked away with his services.
Ian Rapoport broke the news on X, stating, “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 David Mulugheta of AthletesFirst.”
What Is Willis’ Salary?
The official details of the contract are still becoming clear, but he is going to have an average annual salary of $22.5 million, a far cry from the offseason estimates that had him going for upwards of $30 million.
With a three-year contract worth $67.5 million, it is hard to see this as anything but a massive win for the Dolphins. Getting a far cheaper deal than most believed possible for the rising quarterback, he is now on the team that has started a rebuild.
The deal will officially go through on Wednesday, once free agency fully opens. But unless something dramatic happens between now and then, Miami has a new man under center.
What Is Willis’ Net Worth?
As a backup quarterback, Willis hasn’t made a ton of money or name for himself quite yet. Even in a football-hungry town like Green Bay, he has yet to truly take that jump into the upper echelon.
As a result, with his career earnings of just $5,358,020, his net worth is in the $2-3 million range, according to most online sources.
According to PFSN’s Offense Impact Metric, Miami’s offense was ranked 19th in the league last season. The Dolphins will expect their offense to take a big step in 2026 as they have also moved on from Tua Tagovailoa.
