Talk about whiplash. Hours after releasing Tua Tagovailoa and taking on a record $99 million in dead money, the Miami Dolphins found their replacement: former Packers quarterback Malik Willis on a 3-year, $67.5 million deal with $45 million guaranteed.
Folks, this is either brilliant scouting on a diamond in the rough or one of the wildest gambles in recent NFL history. There's no middle ground here.
Willis was a third-round pick who spent most of his time in Green Bay as a backup. He's shown flashes of mobility and arm talent, but he's essentially unproven as an NFL starter. And the Dolphins just committed starter money to him before he's proven he can actually do the job.
On one hand, I get it. The front office clearly didn't believe Tua was the answer - the $99 million dead cap hit proves that. They needed to move quickly in free agency before all the quarterbacks were gone. And maybe they see something in Willis that the rest of us haven't seen yet.
On the other hand, this is a massive financial risk on top of the historic dead money they're already carrying. If Willis doesn't work out, GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley will have spent over $150 million on quarterbacks who aren't playing for them.
The optimistic view? Willis has upside. He's athletic, he can extend plays, and he's got the arm strength to make all the throws. Maybe sitting behind Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love gave him the development he needed. Maybe he's ready to break out in year three.
The pessimistic view? The Dolphins just panicked after cutting Tua and overpaid for a backup quarterback because they had to fill the position. They're now committed to a guy who might not be any better than what they just released.
