Cardinals Projected to Win Malik Willis Sweepstakes

NBC Sports' Connor Rogers offered the following nugget after his time in Indianapolis:

"While Malik Willis has been tied to Miami’s new regime (that came over from Green Bay), Arizona has more cap flexibility to sign him as their starter. There was plenty of buzz in Indy connecting the two in upcoming free agency."

Willis has ties to both Miami and Arizona.

The Dolphins' new head coach and general manager were freshly hired out of Green Bay and will need a quarterback after the expected release of Tua Tagovailoa, which will greatly weaken their free agent spending after ingesting a $42.9 million hit against the salary cap this offseason if released before June 1.

Arizona has a projected $30 million in cap space with more potential moves creating roughly $20 million more in moves. Cutting Kyler Murray will see them take just a $2 million decrease on their 2026 cap.

The Cardinals have a few connections to Willis. Brother of new head coach Mike LaFleur — Matt — is the Packers' head coach and directly worked with Willis the last two seasons. Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort was previously in the Tennessee Titans' front office just a few years ago when they drafted Willis.

Willis = Worth The Money?

Willis' price tag is the ultimate deciding factor when evaluating his fit in Arizona. There's reports circulating of a potential $30 million annual price tag for Willis, which does seem massive considering his lack of experience (six starts in four years) on top of his limited production (89 passing attempts in three starts for the Packers).

It's a risk the Cardinals will have to deem worthy this offseason — reports also indicate other free agents make more sense for a short-term fix in Arizona such as Jimmy Garoppolo, which would come at a much cheaper rate.

If Arizona can work his contract to give themselves an out after the first year, perhaps Willis is worth a swing at the plate, though with a brand new coaching staff in town, the Cardinals are truly a wild card entering free agency.