Malik Willis signs $21M deal with Dolphin
The NFL's quarterback market is heating up after a historic Monday where Miami Dolphins released Tua Tagovailoa following his 7-10 season, triggering an unprecedented salary-cap hit of $92 million in the process (reported as ~$65M cap space freed). In response to this massive financial reset and new leadership under head coach Jeff Hafley, free agent Malik Willis agreed on a three-year deal worth roughly $34.78 total value with Miami's first year at around 10-2 million dollars per season (reported as ~$65M cap hit for the team).
Key Points
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1The Miami Dolphins have signed free agent Malik Willis to a three-year, $67.5 million deal.
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2This move comes immediately after the team announced it will release starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa later this week due to an NFL-record salary cap hit of approximately $99-102M (sources vary slightly on exact figure).
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3The trade is viewed as a risky gamble by some analysts, replacing a proven star with Willis who has only six career starts.
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4Sources note that the Dolphins' new regime under head coach Jeff Hafley and GM Jerry Rosas prioritized system familiarity over sample size when selecting their next quarterback.
Developments
The Miami Dolphin have released Tua Tagovailoa with $99 million dead money and are expected to sign Malik Willis as their new starting quarterback for three years at a cost of approximately$68million, though they plan on using future draft picks if the signing does not work out.
The Dolphins released Tua Tagovailoa to sign Malik Willis in a three-year deal worth $67.5 million, including $45 million guaranteed. Despite concerns about Willis's limited starting experience and high cost relative to his draft status, the team views him as their new starter after he previously served under similar coaching systems with Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur.
The Dolphins released Tua Tagovailoa to sign Malik Willis as their new starting quarterback under an NFL-record $99.2 million dead salary cap charge for his three-year deal with significant guarantees. Despite concerns about the risk due to Willis's limited career starts and low draft status, Miami selected him based on familiarity from two seasons of backup time in Green Bay alongside head coach Matt LaFleur.
The Miami Dolphins signed free agent quarterback Malik Willis to a contract worth up to $67.5 million over three years with full guarantees following the departure of Tua Tagovailoa in 2024 (contextualized by text mentions). The article notes that during his previous season as Green Bay Packers' starting QB, he completed an impressive 30-of-35 passes for four touchdowns and zero interceptions.