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The Miami Dolphins have undergone massive changes this offseason, bringing in a completely new regime to run things for the foreseeable future and turning over most of their roster for guys on inexpensive one-year deals for the 2026 season.
While most of their roster moves have followed the same logic, the signing of quarterback Malik Willis is a bit different, as they gave the former third-round pick a three-year, $67.5 million contract.
That decision has been questioned by quite a few people around the NFL, including multiple executives who spoke to The Athletic's Mike Sando recently.
“To me, this is 2019 all over again,” one exec told Sando. “They should not have signed Malik Willis. They should have taken the full Tua cap charge in one season. They should have gone with Quinn Ewers and just played out the season.”
Had the Dolphins rolled with Ewers, who led the team to a 1-2 record while completing 66.3% of his passes for 622 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions last year, they could've completely reset this offseason.
Instead, they brought in Willis, who has a 3-3 record as a starter in the NFL, and in 22 total appearances, has completed 67.7% of his passes for 1,322 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions.
“You should know enough about Willis to know many of his throws were flareouts and simple stuff,” another exec told Sando. “So, unless you plan on running an offense like that, what are you doing? And then I don’t think they got enough for (Jaylen) Waddle. They got the equivalent of the 25th pick in the draft. It should have been a lot more.”
Bringing in Willis, on its own, isn't a terrible idea, but in combination with their other moves, it sticks out as peculiar, and at least one executive puts the blame squarely on those above new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley.
“Give me another idea,” a third exec told Sando. “They will have as many minimum-salary guys on their 53 as any team in the league. The problem there is that they have an absentee owner and some really empowered people in the front office, including the president. If you’re the GM, that’s a tough situation.”
The football in South Florida might not be easy to watch in 2026, but even when they get through it, the Dolphins will be paying nearly $70 million for Tagovailoa and Willis in 2027. That's far from ideal.
More Dolphins: Dolphins identified as a top landing spot for disgruntled star WR
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Multiple NFL execs blast Dolphins offseason plan for 2026
Continue reading...
While most of their roster moves have followed the same logic, the signing of quarterback Malik Willis is a bit different, as they gave the former third-round pick a three-year, $67.5 million contract.
That decision has been questioned by quite a few people around the NFL, including multiple executives who spoke to The Athletic's Mike Sando recently.
“To me, this is 2019 all over again,” one exec told Sando. “They should not have signed Malik Willis. They should have taken the full Tua cap charge in one season. They should have gone with Quinn Ewers and just played out the season.”
Had the Dolphins rolled with Ewers, who led the team to a 1-2 record while completing 66.3% of his passes for 622 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions last year, they could've completely reset this offseason.
Instead, they brought in Willis, who has a 3-3 record as a starter in the NFL, and in 22 total appearances, has completed 67.7% of his passes for 1,322 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions.
“You should know enough about Willis to know many of his throws were flareouts and simple stuff,” another exec told Sando. “So, unless you plan on running an offense like that, what are you doing? And then I don’t think they got enough for (Jaylen) Waddle. They got the equivalent of the 25th pick in the draft. It should have been a lot more.”
Bringing in Willis, on its own, isn't a terrible idea, but in combination with their other moves, it sticks out as peculiar, and at least one executive puts the blame squarely on those above new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley.
“Give me another idea,” a third exec told Sando. “They will have as many minimum-salary guys on their 53 as any team in the league. The problem there is that they have an absentee owner and some really empowered people in the front office, including the president. If you’re the GM, that’s a tough situation.”
The football in South Florida might not be easy to watch in 2026, but even when they get through it, the Dolphins will be paying nearly $70 million for Tagovailoa and Willis in 2027. That's far from ideal.
More Dolphins: Dolphins identified as a top landing spot for disgruntled star WR
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Multiple NFL execs blast Dolphins offseason plan for 2026
Continue reading...
