Cardinals Can't Afford Malik Willis Gamble

Willis was recently ranked as the top free agent available this offseason after a successful stint with the Green Bay Packers, filling in for an injured Jordan Love through spurts of 2024-25.

Willis, set to turn 27 later in the offseason, appeared in 11 games for Green Bay through the past two seasons with a 2-1 record as a starter. In that stretch he's completed 70/89 passing attempts for 972 yards and six touchdowns to zero interceptions while also scoring three rushing touchdowns.

In a limited sample size, Willis showed what many had hoped he would be after initially drafted by the Tennessee Titans: A dual-threat game manager with athletic upside to do damage in the run game as well.

It's not as if he checked down often, either. His intended air yards per attempt of 10.1 would have led the NFL in 2025 had he not thrown just 35 passes.

A promising end to last season is set to see Willis cash in for a major payday, and that's where Arizona should exclude itself from the table.

Why Cardinals Ultimately Should Avoid Malik Willis

The Cardinals have a need at quarterback past this season. Willis is, age-wise, in his prime. Arizona believes it has a roster capable of turning things around quickly. Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur probably has gotten high praise from brother Matt in Green Bay on Willis.

So, what's the problem here?

Willis, in theory, makes sense. However, the biggest piece to this puzzle is what Willis is likely searching for in terms of his next contract. Spotrac is projecting Willis' annual market value to be at $35.5 million per season.

The upside clamors for it, but it's hard to get past Willis having thrown just 155 passes across a 22-game span in four NFL seasons with significant money attached. The Cardinals have a projected $27.6 million in effective cap space (per OTC), which takes into account their projected draft class.

Even with more moves to nearly double that, the Cardinals still have some holes to plug (offensive/defensive line, potentially edge rusher) in free agency while also potentially preparing to ingest more of Murray's salary to facilitate a trade.

It's doable, though the Cardinals would be taking a risk with tying themselves to Willis — even if it's only for two seasons.

Some would argue that's a risk the organization needs to take, and that's fair.

However, the Cardinals are aligning themselves to get through 2026 with Brissett as their starter before exploring the quarterback market next offseason. The goal is to survive this year while building around football's most important position, then striking on a long-term passer in the future.

Signing Willis to anything close to Spotrac's projection would derail that, and if Willis isn't what he's projected to be, the Cardinals will again push themselves into quarterback purgatory.

The idea is fine, though the limited starting experience and potential price tag makes us pass on the opportunity.