Despite an unsuccessful performance at Tennessee and being the backup in Green Bay the last two years, if teams like the Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns or Pittsburgh Steelers wanted to sign Malik Willis in free agency, it would be a ridiculous price.
While they had different results in 2025, the Dolphins, Browns and Steelers are all entering the offseason with the same issues. Figuring out who will be their starting quarterback next season.
Miami is expected to move on from Tua Tagovailoa this offseason after disappointing performances over the past two seasons and a trip to the Pro Bowl in 2023. Cleveland has options like Deshaun Watson and Shadure Sanders, but rumors suggest they will look at the QB market this offseason. Pittsburgh could run it back with Aaron Rodgers in 2026, but they need to find a long-term option at the position.
That's why reports and speculation have linked all three to impending free agent Malik Willis. The third-round pick from the 2022 NFL Draft is viewed as the best QB available in free agency despite starting his career with the Tennessee Titans and then serving as a backup for the Green Bay Packers in 2024 and 2025.
Could Malik Willis get a deal worth more than $30 million annually?
Willis' time in Green Bay and what he showed in limited action last season has created a lot of talk that the 26-year-old could be the next Sam Darnold or Daniel Jones. Due to the weak QB market this offseason and his untapped potential, Willis is clearly attracting a lot of interest, and it is driving up the asking price for teams that want to sign him.
As NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports, "As expected, Packers free agent QB Malik Willis is in demand, and the interested teams I spoke to at the combine in Indianapolis believe him getting at least $30 million per year is a foregone conclusion."
A deal in the thirties would get them the same money as Darnold and Baker Mayfield. Players who proved more than enough during their careers and reached the playoffs. That's a surprising amount of money Willis could get, but it's the going rate for a demanding position that garners some of the biggest contracts in the NFL.
