The Miami Dolphins may want to sign Malik Willis, but his newly reported contract prediction may have ended the sweepstakes for Miami.
The hype train for Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis continues to roll on, and the pending free agent passer continues to be predicted to secure a large contract, which puts the Miami Dolphins in a worse spot to land him.
At first, it was indicated that Willis might fetch something along the lines of $20 million per season. Now, that figure has risen to $30 million per season, which should be the proverbial nail in the coffin for the Dolphins being able to compete for his services.
That, and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, also seemed to indicate that the Dolphins might not be able to get into a bidding war for Willis, or any player.
Sullivan has been hard at work to ensure the team got out of the $16 million deficit they were in before releasing the likes of Tyreek Hill, Bradley Chubb, and more. The good news is the Dolphins are now cap compliant, but with a lot more work to do.
Bargain shopping is what the team is headed for during free agency, and throwing anything in the $20 to $30 million per season for a quarterback is just not feasible.
Per a new report from NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Willis could be headed for a huge payday.
"#Packers free agent QB Malik Willis is in demand, as expected, and interested teams I’ve spoken to at the Combine in Indianapolis believe him getting at least $30M per year is a foregone conclusion," Schultz wrote on X.
The odd nature of Willis receiving this amount of money is due to his having only six starts. Granted, he looked spectacular when he started for the injured Jordan Love, but that price is still very steep.
The Dolphins are in a full rebuild, and going all-in on any one player will be counterproductive to what Sullivan is trying to accomplish.
Willis could theoretically take less money to join the Dolphins, considering Sullivan and Jeff Hafley also come from the Packers organization, but that might be a bit dubious considering how well the young quarterback is about to be paid.
There is also Quinn Ewers to think about. He only received a three-game audition, which was not enough to determine if he can be a full-fledged starter in the NFL.
It would be smart for the Dolphins to truly allow Ewers the chance to prove or not prove he can be the answer at quarterback. A veteran will be brought in, and Sullivan indicated the team will also draft a quarterback.
With a ton of competition to look forward to, overspending on Willis is simply not the way to go.