The Miami Dolphins have been linked to Malik Willis plenty, but NFL insider Ian Rapoport has delivered a disappointing update on the possibility.
The Miami Dolphins need a quarterback in 2026, and while that could still be Quinn Ewers, the team continues to be linked to Malik Willis. While Willis has shown he can be a starter, the sheer amount of his contract might prevent the team from landing him, according to Ian Rapoport.
Miami has already begun its reset, as the team released pass rusher Bradley Chubb, wide receivers Tyreel Hill and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, and offensive lineman James Daniels.
Those four moves alone pushed the Dolphins into cap compliance, as they whittled their negative $16 million cap space to having a surplus of just over $3 million, according to overthecap.com.
Despite the huge cap saving move made thus far, expect the Dolphins front office to engage in even more cuts, such as releasing kicker Jason Sanders and offensive lineman Austin Jackson, among many other moves.
With the potential for the team to have an even bigger surplus of cap space when free agency rolls around, some might think the team is waiting to pounce on landing Willis, due to the Green Bay Packers connections with Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley.
While the connection factor could play a major part in the Dolphins' potentially trying to land Willis, the sheer contract size he may receive from the competition could force Miami out of the running.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport joined "The Rich Eisen Show" to discuss the Dolphins' potential of landing Willis, but he delivered a disappointing prediction on the matter.
Host Rich Eisen initially discusses the cap-cutting moves with Rapoport, and then goes into the idea of whether or not the Dolphins could trade Tua Tagovailoa, which ultimately leads to the acquisition of Willis.
While Rapoport indicates the possibility would be the Dolphins saving somewhere in the $5-$10 million range on the $54 million that Tagovailoa is guaranteed, the current cap situation still might prevent Miami from landing Willis.
"Can they afford Malik Willis, is an interesting question ... I think Malik Willis is going to have a really really good market. When he's played in some tough situations, he has been really impressive. Can they find a way to keep him under the cap, I don't know, because they are going to have competition ... when you actually look at the money, that will be tough for Miami to do. They can do it, they got smart people, but it might be too big of a challenge," Rapoport said.
The issue that Rapoport is posing has to do with the competition that Willis is likely to receive among the multitude of teams needing a starting quarterback. The Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets, and Atlanta Falcons are just some of the teams needing a passer.
All those teams are in a much better cap situation, and it will be tough for the Dolphins to compete.
Fellow NFL insider Tom Pelissero also likened Willis to Justin Fields, who received a two-year, $40 million deal from the New York Jets. There is a growing belief that the Packers' signal caller could fetch the same kind of deal.
There is also the fact that Willis has only six starts in his NFL career to think about. Do the Dolphins want to spend upwards of $20+ million on a quarterback that may or may not be a full-fledged starter?
There is also Ewers to consider as well. Despite only playing three games, he could be a dark horse candidate to land the starting job in 2026.
The Dolphins will bring a veteran in as a potential bridge quarterback, but it is unlikely the team is shedding this many contracts, only to climb back into a cap hole with a major deal for Willis.