Malik Willis Drops Unfortunate Take After Dolphins' Jaylen Waddle Trade
The Miami Dolphins are starting a new era of football after a flurry of changes this offseason.
It began with head coach Mike McDaniel being fired and then former Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator and ex-Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley being named as his replacement.
Jon-Eric Sullivan came over from Green Bay and became the new GM in Miami, and the Dolphins unsurprisingly moved on from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
The Dolphins also signed ex-Packers QB Malik Willis to a massive three-year, $67.5 million deal in free agency, cementing him as the starting quarterback, at least for 2026.
Willis will make his first appearance as a full-time starting QB, but the offense doesn't have a ton of weapons, especially after star wide receiver Jaylen Waddle was traded to the Denver Broncos.
As Willis took part in OTAs on Tuesday, the new QB admitted it was "unfortunate" tos ee Waddle shipped out in the trade.
"It was unfortunate, for sure, to say the least," Willis said, via Eric Edholm of NFL.com. "That's a really good player and I would have loved to play with him, but that's above my pay grade, brother. Out of my hands."
The Dolphins acquired the No. 30 overall pick as part of the package for Waddle, which also included a pick swap and another draft pick coming to Miami.
Still, Waddle wasn't thrilled about the deal, and the Dolphins' WR room has a lot of question marks with the way the roster currently stands.
Dolphins WR Room Faces Lots of Questions
The Dolphins also released Tyreek Hill, which was expected, so Malik Washington and his 46 catches for 317 yards are the top returning WR for Miami.
The Dolphins did add some pieces in free agency with each of Jalen Tolbert, Tutu Atwell and Terrace Marshall Jr. signing deals, but none of them are top options.
The Dolphins selected three wide receivers in the NFL Draft as well, but nobody even comes close to the talent of Waddle.
The only encouraging news for the offense is that the Dolphins gave running back De'Von Achane a four-year extension worth $68 million, but the WR room needs a lot of work, and Willis has a tough road ahead in his first year as the starting QB in Miami.
Related: Packers Add New Backup QB After Malik Willis Signs With Dolphins
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This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 1:45 PM.