1 of 5 | Miami Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis speaks to reporters during an introductory news conference Thursday at the Baptist Health Training Complex in Miami Gardens, Fla. Photo by Alex Butler/UPI
Malik Willis’ voice is suede soft and nearly library low, but steady. He scours his mind for the right words, but isn’t heavy handed in using vocal conviction as a cloak of confidence.
It’s a poise and delivery the Miami Dolphins yearned for during their quarterback search. It’s also one of the reasons they signed Willis to a 3-year, $67.5 million contract in free agency the same month they parted ways with former starter Tua Tagovailoa.
Despite a brief resume of just six career starts and 155 pass attempts over four years, new Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley are more familiar with Willis than most NFL braintrusts.
They observed the former third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft over the last two seasons while working on the Green Bay Packers staff and were convicted enough about his attributes to bring him to Miami Gardens, Fla., after they were hired as the Dolphins’ respective general manager and head coach.
“There are a lot of great reasons to be here,” Willis said Thursday at his introductory news conference. “Those two guys are the biggest ones, in my opinion as far as what I see in this organization and this team becoming.
“I can’t see the future, but all I know is they’re going to put in the work each and every day just as I’ll try to do the same. In whatever role, whatever leadership it is. They brought me in as a piece of the puzzle that they want to put here, and I’m grateful and honored to be a part of that.”
Willis, who admitted he wasn’t prepared to be a franchise quarterback during his time with the Tennessee Titans, said he never put a timeline on when he expected another team to grant him another chance.
He drifted through four different offenses through his first four seasons, which sandwiched a 2024 trade from the Titans to the Packers. Willis declined to describe interest he received from other teams this off-season, but said he was drawn to the Dolphins because of Hafley and Sullivan’s ability to give him deliberate feedback on how to improve his game.
He whittled his NFL acumen through work on the Packers’ scout team, which included impersonations of opposing quarterbacks and observations from alien schemes while battling Hafley-led Green Bay defenses.
He now hopes to follow similar paths to other veteran quarterbacks who didn’t pan out initially, but went on to success down the road, such as Super Bowl winner Sam Darnold and journeyman Geno Smith.
“You’ve got to lean not on your own understanding, that’s for sure,” Willis said. “And you’ve gotta trust in God’s plan for your life. When he wakes you up and gives you opportunity to get better, I think that’s all you should ask for. When an opportunity arises, that’s when you’ll be able to take advantage of it.
“So until then, you got to keep working, because if you didn’t get the opportunity, that means you weren’t ready.”
Willis, 26, completed just 53% of his throws for 350 yards and three interceptions over 11 appearances from 2022 to 2023 with the Titans, where he fell out of favor before landing in Green Bay.
He completed 78.7% of his tosses for 972 yards, with six scores and no interceptions over his final 11 appearances for the Packers, including a 43 of 54 (79.6%) clip for 612 yards and three scores in three starts. The Packers went 2-1 in those games.
Willis believes he improved every part of his game, other than running, which he has always excelled at, over his turbulent NFL start. He learned to trigger memories and customize his preparation, which allowed him to better evaluate what he sees from defenses.
The Dolphins’ perceived starter is likely to receive early QB1 repetitions, but conceded that he anticipates competition across the roster, including at quarterback.
“I think it’s competition at every position,” Willis said. “I think it’s competition between the coaches. We compete each day to earn our spot here. It’s not a given for anything. And I don’t think it should be, but we should be competing for everything, every day. That’s the only way we’re going to continue to get better and grow.
“We don’t want to get stale.”
The Dolphins also hope the fresh ingredients turn around an offense that went from oven hot to expired in the span of a few seasons behind Tagovailoa and former coach Mike McDaniel, who was fired in January and hired a month later as Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator.
Willis said he isn’t sure when he knew he was “ready” to accept the role he currently holds, but plans to pour all of his energy into the biggest opportunity of his career.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity now, and that’s all I have to say,” Willis said. “I can’t say whether I was ready or not. I can’t prove that, you know what I mean? That would be just me being arrogant, prideful, you know? A good opportunity is here now.
“I’m going to try to do my best to take advantage of it.”
Super Bowl LX: Seattle Seahawks defeat New England Patriots
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (L) embraces the Super Bowl MVP, running back Kenneth Walker III, after the Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots 29-13 to win Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on February 8, 2026. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
