Free agent quarterbacks have become more and more important in recent years, as mid-tier quarterbacks have found success in other stops after moving to new teams in the offseason. Of course, it's very rare to see a true star quarterback hit the open market, but plenty of teams have found quality starters on the free agent market in recent times.
The clearest example of this is what the Seattle Seahawks did with Sam Darnold. In 2025, Seattle traded Geno Smith away and signed Darnold to a three-year contract. In year one of the deal, Darnold led the Seahawks to a 14-3 regular season and a Super Bowl victory.
Outside of Darnold, there are other success stories around the league as well. Daniel Jones was leading an elite offense with the Indianapolis Colts before tearing his Achilles last season. The Buccaneers have also gotten multiple years of serviceable play out of Baker Mayfield on his fourth team. Smith, even before being traded away from Seattle, was a quality starter in 2023 and 2024 before flaming out in Las Vegas last fall.
Despite not being a full-time starter in 2025, former Green Bay Packers backup Malik Willis is the top name available on the quarterback market this offseason. Jones is also available, but he is coming off of injury and seems to want to return to the Colts.
Willis could be in line for a big payday as a result of the market and a couple of very promising starts in Green Bay over the last few seasons while Jordan Love was sidelined. What are some landing spots that make sense for the young signal-caller?
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins will be the obvious landing spot for Willis as Miami moves on from Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback. The Dolphins could choose to go with Quinn Ewers next season after he finished out his rookie year as the starter, but there is a chance that new head coach Jeff Hafley would rather have a veteran quarterback in for his first season on the job.
Of course, Hafley just worked with Willis when he was the defensive coordinator in Green Bay, so he is all too familiar with what the former third-round pick can do. The Dolphins will have money to spend assuming they move on from Tagovailoa this offseason, and Willis seems like he would be at the top of the list given the market and his connections to Hafley from the last two seasons.
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals are another team dealing with a starting quarterback fallout after Kyler Murray was replaced by Jacoby Brissett and missed most of the 2025 season with a foot injury. Murray is on a big contract and seems like a prime trade candidate this offseason, especially with a new staff coming in, so there is a good chance the Cardinals will be looking for a new starter next season.
New head coach Mike LaFleur comes from Sean McVay's Rams and is the brother of Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, so Willis has connections to this coaching staff as well. The LaFleurs and McVay all run a similar offense, so there would be some familiarity there if that's where Willis does end up.
Arizona is in a great spot to beef up its offensive line in the NFL Draft and has a promising group of pass-catchers already on the team in Trey McBride and Marvin Harrison Jr. That, combined with a play-caller likely to bring some innovative ideas to the table, would make for a good spot for Willis to be a full-time starter.
Cleveland Browns
The Browns came into the 2025 season with a complete mess of a quarterback situation, and they exit that campaign without a long-term answer at the position. Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett were both traded away, Deshaun Watson never made it back from his torn Achilles, and Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders both appear far from ready to be NFL starters.
With Kevin Stefanski out and Todd Monken in as the new head coach in Cleveland, the Browns could be looking for another external answer at quarterback heading into next season. Monken coached Lamar Jackson in Baltimore the last few seasons, and while Willis isn't nearly the talent that Jackson is, there are some stylistic similarities that could make him an intriguing fit for the Browns.
Cleveland's offensive line situation could hue a deterrent, as Willis hasn't had to play behind a shoddy offensive line since his days in Tennessee, which didn't go well. However, or a franchise in desperate need of some life heading into a new era in 2026, Willis could be the best option out there with a weak quarterback draft class.
