Dolphins take big gamble by replacing Tua Tagovailoa with unproven Malik Willis

The Miami Dolphins revealed on Monday that they will release quarterback Tua Tagovailoa once the new league year opens at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday. 

It turns out the Dolphins had a replacement in mind when they shared that news. 

What Malik Willis will receive from Dolphins

Shortly after the "legal tampering" portion of free agency got underway on Monday afternoon, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported that the Dolphins plan to sign Green Bay Packers backup quarterback Malik Willis to a three-year, $67.5M contract. Rapoport added that $45M of the deal is fully guaranteed.

The Dolphins winning the Willis sweepstakes was hardly a surprising development considering new Miami general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and new head coach Jeff Hafley joined the franchise from the Packers. Sullivan previously worked as Green Bay's vice president of player personnel, while Hafley served as the Packers' defensive coordinator across the past two seasons. 

That said, some suggested as recently as last week that the Arizona Cardinals could emerge as a realistic landing spot for Willis. Arizona will officially part ways with Kyler Murray when the new league year opens, but it's unclear if Willis had any interest in joining the Cardinals.

Why signing Malik Willis is a risk for the Dolphins

Willis is a 26-year-old with plenty of upside who completed 27-of-32 passes for 409 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions across two December appearances with the Packers. He also rushed for 104 yards and two scores over those games.

That said, Willis has thus far made just six career regular-season starts since the Tennessee Titans selected him in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. While he will instantly become Miami's new QB1, history suggests the two sides could part ways as soon as next offseason if he either plays poorly or goes down with a significant injury. 

For now, he can celebrate the fact that he basically turned two solid outings into a big payday. Meanwhile, teams such as the Cardinals, Cleveland Browns and New York Jets will have to look elsewhere while addressing their quarterback situations.