Malik Willis resurrected his NFL career with the Green Bay Packers and signed a three-year, $67.5 million contract with the Miami Dolphins, reuniting with head coach Jeff Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan.
Before throwing his first pass as the Dolphins’ starter, Willis went viral for a different kind of throw. On Friday at LoanDepot Park, the quarterback stepped onto the mound for a ceremonial first pitch ahead of the Marlins’ game against the Philadelphia Phillies and sailed his delivery high and wide, which drew some criticism.
Rich Eisen Calls Criticism of Malik Willis’ First Pitch an ‘Overreaction’
During a segment on “The Rich Eisen Show,” the veteran NFL analyst shut down the concerns around Willis’ throwing ability.
“I’d be concerned if he [Willis] were a $20 million-a-year pitcher for the Miami Marlins, but since it’s the Miami Dolphins, it’s an overreaction,” Eisen said. “Did you see Patrick Mahomes’ first pitch?”
Eisen pointed to Mahomes, whose own errant first pitch from a 2016 Texas Rangers game resurfaced after Willis’ moment. The three-time Super Bowl champion responded to the old clip on X, writing, “Chill, chill, chill. Thought we deleted all footage of this.”
“So come on, man. Mahomes didn’t have a great first pitch, even if it wasn’t as bad as Malik Willis’,” Eisen continued. “It just goes to show you that Malik Willis has a small window of opportunity here. When he signed with Miami, I thought he’s got a large window of an opportunity, but now everybody’s starting to talk about, well, next year, there’s all these quarterbacks.”
However, Eisen’s tone shifted when the conversation turned to the bigger picture: Willis’ long-term future as the Dolphins’ quarterback.
“If he wants to preserve his job there, play well enough where they’re [Dolphins] picking 15 through 25,” he added. “All of a sudden, you’re not in a position to take one of those top guys. Stay healthy as well, and, you know, stay out of the zone of going outside your lane, man.”
Willis enters 2026 without the weapons Miami once boasted, as the team released Tyreek Hill and traded Jaylen Waddle this offseason. Miami used three of its 13 picks in this year’s draft on wideouts, but none are established NFL contributors yet.
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According to PFSN’s Offense Impact Metric, the Dolphins’ offense posted an impact score of 73.1 last season, ranking 19th in the league. There’s a high likelihood the unit will be worse in 2026.
A rough season will land the Dolphins a top-five pick in next year’s draft, and it will create enormous pressure to move on from Willis, regardless of the $67.5 million commitment.
Playing well enough to win seven or eight games would accomplish two things: it would push the Dolphins out of range for a franchise quarterback prospect like Arch Manning or Dante Moore, and it would give Willis the sample size to justify an extension or, at a minimum, solidify his standing as the long-term answer.
Willis, the former third-round pick, completed 78.7% of his passes for 972 yards, 6 touchdowns, and zero interceptions across 11 regular-season appearances with the Packers over the past two seasons. He hopes to build on that in Miami and secure another lucrative deal with the franchise.
