With ex-Packers at head coach and GM, logical answer to Dolphins replacing Tua Tagovailoa seems increasingly clear

As new Miami Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan began a mental scroll of his roster, he began to describe the foundation of his franchise’s future.

Count receiver Jaylen Waddle an “explosive athlete” with the “ability to create separation at the top of the route” as well as anybody, Sullivan told a team reporter in an interview the Dolphins posted to YouTube on Sunday. Running back De'Von Achane “can strike from anywhere on the field,” Sullivan said. “He’s a home-run guy … a difference maker.”

The 22-year Green Bay Packers employee touted Dolphins center Aaron Brewer’s ability to play out in space, left tackle Patrick Paul’s length and linebacker Jordyn Brook’s instincts and ability to strike.

As he rattled off his building blocks, Tua Tagovailoa was nowhere to be found.

The closest Sullivan came to acknowledging Tagovailoa in the 15-minute conversation: a conversation about the role of quarterback in roster assembly.

“We will build this team, starts with the quarterback,” Sullivan said, “and then we will build this team from the inside out.”

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The omission of Tagovailoa was not shocking. Former head coach Mike McDaniel benched the 2020 first-round draft pick with three games to play in the season after he’d thrown 15 interceptions and lost four fumbles in 14 games. McDaniel also said in the days between the Dolphins’ finale and his firing that “in 2026, I think there will be competition for our starting quarterback.” 

But when the Dolphins fired McDaniel later that week, creating a further leadership void alongside the midseason firing of general manager Chris Grier, the question resurfaced: Would Tagovailoa get his next shot?

Tagovailoa completed 67.7% of pass attempts for 2,660 yards and 20 touchdowns amid his turnover uptick. But the interceptions brought down his passer rating to 88.5, 26th-best in the league after three straight seasons in the top-10.

A new regime could have restated their belief in him. Instead, the absence of a Tagovailoa discussion between Sullivan and the Dolphins' in-house reporter spoke volumes.

Monday, when the Dolphins announced they were hiring Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley as head coach, the answer for Tagovailoa’s replacement may have come closer to clarifying.

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Multiple league sources told Yahoo Sports they expect the Dolphins to strongly consider Malik Willis for their 2026 starting quarterback position. Miami’s offensive coordinator decision will be a key prerequisite before moving forward with any formal plans. But after Hafley and Sullivan spent two years watching Willis at practice and in meetings, the connection makes sense.

“I think Malik is on most people’s radar as a starting QB target in free agency, including them,” one NFC talent evaluator told Yahoo Sports.

Executive and coaching sources from other teams agreed, one noting that processing seemed to slow down for the “super talented” Willis in his limited action with the Packers this season while another expected Willis to be the Dolphins’ target “depending on OC.”

Willis was strong in limited action this season despite, as is standard for backup quarterbacks, playing in unideal circumstances and at times without reps during the week.

He completed 85.7% of his 35 pass attempts for 422 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions while also running for 123 yards and two scores though he fumbled twice. The Titans’ 2022 third-round pick (86^th overall), Willis spent two years in Tennessee before moving to Green Bay.

He engineered a touchdown drive in one series of relief for the Packers against the Giants, and Willis accounted for 348 yards and three touchdowns from scrimmage against the Baltimore Ravens in a late December loss.

The Packers have a long history of developing quarterbacks, including first-rounders in Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love who grew into starting quarterbacks while sitting for multiple seasons.

Sullivan alluded to that history of “30 years of sustained success” in Green Bay during his sit-down.

And while he spoke often about draft-and-develop as his preferred roster-building method to free agency acquisitions, Sullivan’s discussions of evaluating football character and adversity response hinted at the comfort he may find in working with a quarterback who’s not a completely new colleague.

Willis could sign a deal resembling what Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones have signed in recent years with teams that believed they had upside as a starter. After Jones received $13 million last spring from the Indianapolis Colts, league sources see a reality in which Willis receives $15 million this spring in a multiyear deal with front-loaded guarantees.

If the Dolphins are interested, they’ll know whom to call. Willis’ agent, David Mulugheta, has negotiated the two biggest contracts in Packers history: Love and edge rusher Micah Parsons.

Tagovailoa’s contract won’t make Willis’ cost more palatable: Cutting him this offseason would leave the Dolphins on the hook for $99.2 million in dead cap space, compared to $31.8 million a year later.

But only two years ago, the Denver Broncos took on $85 million in dead cap space to release Russell Wilson and now they’re hosting the AFC championship game. And while finding a quarterback in the draft would be more cost-effective and in many ways more Packers-like, the Dolphins aren’t on the board until spot No. 11.

A quarterback outside the top 10 in a draft class widely considered weak at quarterback is unlikely to fuel confidence in a player’s readiness for the present and future.

Willis could bridge that gap.

Sullivan could play coy on his interest, the new GM repeating multiple times this week that the Dolphins “don’t want a team full of mercenaries” and “free agency … can be dangerous waters if you don’t handle it the right way.”

But don’t expect the Dolphins to overlook the impending free agency of a quarterback whom Miami decision-makers know intimately. Willis’ services will be in demand. A logical suitor awaits.

“It's our job to make sure that through the draft and through the other avenues, we're making this team as competitive as possible at every position,” Sullivan said, “because competition drives the individual to excellence.”