.jpg?w=1280 "Ravens Packers Football")
Malik Willis' Best NFL Free-Agency Team Fits and Projected Contract Value
The start of 2026 NFL free agency is just over a week away, and it's becoming clear that Green Bay Packers backup quarterback Malik Willis will be a name to watch.
Despite having just six career starts on his resume, the 26-year-old is expected to be one of the most coveted free agents available this offseason. Willis ranked 18th on Bleacher Report's post-Super Bowl free agent big board and recently came in at No. 1 on the list of NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal.
According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Willis is "in demand" heading into the offseason.
Which teams could provide the best fits for the talented but largely unproven Liberty product? What sort of contract is he likely to command on the open market? Let's take a look.
Projecting Willis' Market and Contract Value
1 of 6.jpg?w=684 "Ravens Packers Football")
Before we dive into Willis' top landing spots, let's examine why he might just be this year's most intriguing, and perhaps polarizing, free agent.
There are multiple reasons why a backup quarterback with limited starting experience will be in demand this offseason. The biggest is likely the fact that the 2026 draft class is largely lacking at the position.
Indiana's Fernando Mendoza is the only QB prospect who has received a first-round grade from the Bleacher Report Scouting Department, and he's virtually guaranteed to land with the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 1 overall. Alabama's Ty Simpson and LSU's Garrett Nussmeier could creep into the first-round conversation, but neither would be a "safe" selection.
Now, Willis isn't a sure thing, either. He has played extremely well when given the opportunity in Green Bay—he's gone 2-1 with a 134.6 quarterback rating—but he struggled mightily with a bad Tennessee Titans team at the beginning of his career.
Willis was drafted in the third round by Tennessee in 2022 and was viewed then as a raw, boom-or-bust prospect.
"Willis is more of a toolsy player than a viable starting NFL quarterback at this point in time. He will be a big project for whichever NFL team selects him—albeit a fun project," Nate Tice wrote for the B/R Scouting Department in 2022.
However, the 6'1", 225-pound dual-threat QB has looked like more of a finished product with the Packers than he ever did in Tennessee.
Of course, no one should be shocked that a young player has gotten better as he has gained experience in a stable situation. We've seen the same thing happen recently with Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, and Daniel Jones. Practically any QB-needy team that believes Willis can be the NFL's next successful reclamation project should be willing to bet on his upside.
As far as Willis' contract value goes, the three-year, $100.5 million deal Darnold signed last offseason will probably provide the starting point for negotiations.
"Interested teams I've spoken to at the Combine in Indianapolis believe him getting at least $30M per year is a foregone conclusion," Schultz posted on X.
While that may feel steep for a quarterback with just six starts in four seasons, Willis is set to cash in on his high ceiling and the lack of appealing alternatives. He was the No. 2 QB on B/R's most recent board behind Jones—and the Indianapolis Colts are "all in on retaining" Jones, according to The Athletic's James Boyd.
Expect Willis to be QB1 by the start of the legal tampering window on March 9 and to receive offers in the range of second-tier starters like Darnold and Mayfield.
Honorable Mentions
2 of 6.jpg?w=684 "Jets Saints Football")
Not every quarterback-needy team will be a good fit for Willis, but it's worth noting a few other teams that could still make a strong run at the young signal-caller.
The Cleveland Browns are probably at the bottom of the list, given their overall lack of offensive talent and dire cap situation. Cleveland's entire offensive line is a question mark, it lacks receiver depth, and it's facing a $6.5 million cap deficit. Even if the Browns created the cap space needed to sign Willis, they'd have a hard time improving his supporting cast in free agency.
If Cleveland decides Willis is a safer bet than Shedeur Sanders or Deshaun Watson, though, it can't be counted out.
The same can be said for the New York Jets, an organization that might be even less stable than the Browns.
New York has been trying to solve its quarterback puzzle for years, and it did just take a flier on another dual-threat signal-caller, Justin Fields.
The Jets at least have a reliable receiver in Garrett Wilson and $77.8 million in projected cap space with which to improve their offense. However, it's hard to call a team that hasn't been to the playoffs in 15 years and just fired a large chunk of its coaching staff—but not head coach Aaron Glenn—a "best fit."
As mentioned, the Raiders are expected to draft Mendoza, while the Colts are expected to bring back Jones. If the plans of either team change, though, Indy and Las Vegas could interest Willis.
The Colts won eight games this past season, and while the Raiders obviously struggled, they do have offensive building blocks such as Brock Bowers, Ashton Jeanty, and Kolton Miller.
Arizona Cardinals
3 of 6.jpg?w=684 "Cardinals LaFleur Football")
The big question in Arizona is whether the Cardinals will, or even can, move off of quarterback Kyler Murray this offseason.
The first overall pick in the 2019 draft showed promise early in his career but has plateaued as a signal-caller. He struggled this past season, and Arizona's offense was more efficient when he was sidelined with a foot injury.
Parting with Murray, though, would cost Arizona $54.7 million in dead money. That number will jump to $77.3 million if he's released after March 15.
"I'd say all options are on the table for us," Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort told reporters on Tuesday about the team's QB situation.
Should Arizona find a way to dump Murray, it would provide a solid landing spot for Willis—who, at 26 (27 in May), would be more of a long-term option for the franchise than 33-year-old Jacoby Brissett.
The Cardinals don't have a loaded roster, but they do have talented pass-catchers in Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson, and Trey McBride. They should also have little trouble in crafting a scheme that highlights Willis' strengths.
Arizona's new head coach, Mike LaFleur, happens to be the brother of Packers head coach Matt LaFleur. Both have spent time under Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay and have run variations of their spacing-based, motion-heavy systems. Cardinals offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett also spent last season as a defensive analyst in Green Bay.
The situations aren't identical, but there's a very real chance that Willis could be the same quarterback in Arizona that he's been over the past two seasons with the Packers.
Miami Dolphins
4 of 6.jpg?w=684 "Dolphins Football")
The Miami Dolphins share many similarities with Arizona, as it pertains to the market for Willis.
Like the Cardinals, the Dolphins are facing a decision on a once-promising but increasingly polarizing (and expensive) quarterback. Tua Tagovailoa earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2023 but has been inconsistent since, and he has a well-documented injury history.
Releasing Tagovailoa would also cost the Dolphins $99.2 million in dead money.
Like Arizona, Miami is weighing its quarterback options.
"Everything's on the table right now. It could go in a lot of different ways," general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said, per ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques.
And, like the Cardinals, the Dolphins have some Packers connections that may appeal to Willis. Sullivan and new head coach Jeff Hafley were both hired away from Green Bay this offseason. Sullivan has already admitted that Willis is on his radar.
"I think I'd be lying to you - any team that is in a needy QB situation, if they tell you they're not talking about Malik Willis, that would be a lie," Sullivan told reporters at the scouting combine.
Miami doesn't have the impressive offensive cast it once did, but it does have legitimate playmakers in Jaylen Waddle and De'Von Achane. It also has an offensive coordinator in Bobby Slowik who comes from the Shanahan tree and has had some recent success with young quarterbacks.
Things didn't go as well in 2024, and Slowik was fired after that season. However, he helped then-rookie C.J. Stroud have an impressive campaign that culminated with an AFC South title and Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.
Minnesota Vikings
5 of 6.jpg?w=684 "Packers Vikings Football")
The Minnesota Vikings aren't quite in the same boat as the Raiders and Colts.
The Vikings do have a young signal-caller in J.J. McCarthy. However, they don't appear to be nearly as sold on him as the Raiders and Colts are on Mendoza and Jones, respectively.
"A lot of this is, has been J.J. in an unfortunate [situation] with some of the injuries and things that he's dealt with. But we're going to explore every opportunity," executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski said Tuesday, per Ben Goessling of The Minnesota Star Tribune.
Now, signing Willis would effectively mean admitting that drafting McCarthy was a mistake, and Minnesota might not be ready to do that just yet. The Vikings may instead be more interested in bringing in an older veteran like Kirk Cousins—who is expected to be released by the Atlanta Falcons on March 11, the first day of the new league year—to start while they still try to salvage McCarthy's future.
If the Vikings are willing to send McCarthy packing, though, Willis probably won't find a more enticing destination than Minnesota. The Vikings do play in a difficult division, but they showed during their 14-win campaign in 2024 that they can hang in the NFC North when they have competent quarterback play.
In Minnesota, Willis would get to play with talented standouts like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, and Aaron Jones. He'd also get to continue his NFL development under head coach Kevin O'Connell, another offshoot of the Shanahan-McVay tree who runs a QB-friendly offense that first sparked Darnold's redemption arc.
It's not hard to envision Willis becoming a successful long-term starter for his former division rival.
Pittsburgh Steelers
6 of 6.jpg?w=684 "Steelers McCarthy Football")
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been one of the most stable organizations in the NFL dating back to the early 1970s.
While they no longer have head coach Mike Tomlin—who departed Pittsburgh after 19 seasons without a losing record—the Steelers' history may appeal to Willis.
Unlike some other quarterback-needy teams, Pittsburgh has a track record of cultivating success.
However, the Steelers have been searching for a long-term quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger retired following the 2021 season. They've reached the playoffs with Mason Rudolph, Russell Wilson, and Aaron Rodgers behind center, but none has become that permanent solution.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Rodgers is "more likely than not" to re-sign with the Steelers this offseason. If the Steelers hope to avoid another short-term fix, though, they should heavily consider Willis.
While Pittsburgh's offensive skill group isn't great, it has a couple of reliable pass-catchers in DK Metcalf and Pat Freiermuth, along with a talented running back in Jaylen Warren. The Steelers also have an offensive line that ranked eighth overall by Pro Football Focus for the 2025 season.
And while new head coach Mike McCarthy hasn't delivered the same consistent results as his predecessor, he has a Super Bowl win on his resume and has overseen some potent offenses with the Packers and Dallas Cowboys. There's a real chance Pittsburgh's offense will be more quarterback-friendly than it has been in recent years.
With a better offense and a dynamic quarterback like Willis at the helm, the Steelers might just be poised to win their first playoff game since the 2016 season.
.jpg?w=480 "49ers Eagles Football")
.jpg?w=600 "Shedeur not currently in line for Browns QB1")
