Dolphins predicted to whiff on Malik Willis, trade for $8M first-round QB instead

The Miami Dolphins are one of several teams with uncertainty at the quarterback position.

Miami is slated to release veteran signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa, which would leave the Dolphins with Quinn Ewers, who showed some promise last season but hasn't fully cemented himself yet.

It's also worth noting that the new regime is not the one that drafted Ewers, so he's really up against in when it comes to securing the starting job in South Beach.

While Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis has been the most popular name thrown around when it comes to who the Dolphins could bring in to be their new starter, The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt doesn't see that happening.

Instead, he has the Dolphins trading for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones, who is entering the final year of his $8.4 million contract.

He is still only 27 and showed last year in San Francisco that he can thrive in the right environment: 69.6 percent completions, 13 touchdowns, seven interceptions — he ranked ninth among qualifying quarterbacks in EPA per attempt. The 49ers have insisted they have no plans to trade him and that might be true, but the Dolphins have enough assets to make it work without hamstringing themselves. (I also am skeptical they’d really go into the season with Quinn Ewers as their starter.)

Nobody is writing off the Dolphins signing Willis, but with the Packers signal-caller expected to get somewhere in the neighborhood of $30 million per year in a new contract, that might not be in the cards for the cap-strapped Dolphins.

Adding to that, the Cardinals have been rumored to be the expected landing spot for Willis, and in more than one report.

Jones would be a solid addition for the Dolphins as a bridge option who could be a long-term solution given the fact that the former first-round pick is still just 27.

Jones managed to revive his career with the 49ers last season while backing up an injured Brock Purdy, and he was good enough to warrant another chance as a starter. 

The problem is the 49ers don't seem keen on letting Jones go.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said he would be "very surprised" if Jones isn't on the team in 2026, and a report from The Athletic's Jeff Howe suggests the Niners could ask for as much as a first-round pick for Jones because of their desire to keep him.

If that's the Niners' asking price, it goes without saying that a rebuilding team like Miami shouldn't pay it. Even if Miami wasn't rebuilding, that is not a price the Dolphins should pay because Jones simply isn't worth that much.

But, if the Niners get realistic on their demand for Jones and the price is reasonable, we think Miami should take a swing.

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