The QB market this offseason is looking pretty thin as we approach NFL free agency, which is set to begin on March 11 with the legal tampering period opening on March 9. One of the top names on the signal-caller list is Malik Willis, who has spent the past two seasons as Jordan Love’s backup on the Green Bay Packers.
Reports are suggesting Willis could get at least $30 million per season on his next contract. That would put him at the low-end among starting veteran QBs, just below names like Baker Mayfield and Super Bowl champion Sam Darnold.
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We’ve seen Willis perform well in a small sample filling in for Love, making three spot starts while appearing in 11 total games. In those appearances, Willis has posted great numbers, including a 134.6 passer rating and 78.7 completion percentage on just 89 attempts. He has also carried the ball 42 times for 261 yards and three touchdowns.
Will an opportunity to start for a new team give Willis the tools to be a top fantasy football contributor in 2026? Matt Harmon and Justin Boone are joined by Yahoo senior NFL reporter Jori Epstein at the scouting combine to discuss Willis’ future on the latest Yahoo Fantasy Forecast.
Epstein immediately points to Miami as a potential match, looking like “Packers South” after hiring former Green Bay DC Jeff Hafley as head coach after the season. Former Packers exec John Eric Sullivan was also hired as general manager, so both are familiar with Willis from their time in Green Bay.
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The Dolphins would have to move on from QB Tua Tagovailoa, who was benched late in 2025 and has had serious injury issues throughout his NFL career. He’s also on a lofty contract Miami could try and get out from under.
The other team Epstein mentions is the Arizona Cardinals, who just hired Mike LaFleur, brother of Packers head coach Matt LaFleur. The Cardinals have a similar situation with their incumbent QB in Kyler Murray, who was essentially benched for Jacoby Brissett last season. Murray is also expected not to return to Arizona similar to Tua in Miami. If that’s the case, Mike could call up his brother and get some intel on Willis as a potential starter.
Boone points out that Arizona wasn’t very good last season, which resulted in Brissett having to throw the ball a ton. He attempted just over 40 passes per game in 12 starts. That volume really buoyed TE Trey McBride, leading to his mammoth season, along with other pass-catchers like Michael Wilson. If Willis is the starting QB, that would likely mean regression for Cardinals’ pass-catchers.
Harmon questions both teams’ ability to eat so much dead cap space if they end up cutting ties with their respective QBs in Murray and Tagovailoa, which could make it tough to then go and sign Willis. But there are also ties with Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort, who was with the Tennessee Titans when the team drafted Willis in the third round in 2022.
Wherever Willis lands, it will have fantasy ramifications for his new teammates and how we view them in 2026 drafts.
