Malik Willis
American football player (born 1999)
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Malik Antonio Willis (/məˈliːk/ mə-LEEK; born May 25, 1999) is an American professional football quarterback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Auburn Tigers and Liberty Flames, winning the 2020 Dudley Award with the latter. Willis was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft and was traded to the Packers in 2024.
College Park, Georgia, U.S.
Willis with the Tennessee Titans in 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||
| No. 2 – Miami Dolphins | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Position | Quarterback | ||||||||||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born | May 25, 1999 College Park, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 219 lb (99 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||
| High school | Roswell (Roswell, Georgia) | ||||||||||||||||||
| College | |||||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2022: 3rd round, 86th overall pick | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||
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Early life
Willis attended Westlake High School in Atlanta before transferring to Roswell High School in Roswell, Georgia, for his senior year.[1] As a senior, Willis passed for 2,562 yards and rushed for 1,033 yards with 37 total touchdowns. A three star recruit, he committed to Auburn University to play college football.[2][3]
College career
Auburn
Willis spent 2017 and 2018 at Auburn and played in 15 games. During the two years, he completed 11 of 14 passes for 69 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 309 yards and two touchdowns.[4][5]
Liberty
Willis transferred to Liberty University in 2019 following a quarterback competition at Auburn with Bo Nix and sat out the season due to transfer rules.[6]
In 2020, Willis was named the team's starting quarterback.[7] Against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, he threw for six touchdowns and rushed for another. Willis was named the winner of the 2020 Dudley Award, given to the best college football player in the state of Virginia, and was the recipient of the 2021 Bobby Bowden Award, awarded to the best college football player who epitomizes being a Christian student-athlete.[8][9][10] He was named MVP of the 2020 Cure Bowl and the 2021 LendingTree Bowl.[11]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | Wonderlic | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0+1⁄2 in (1.84 m) | 219 lb (99 kg) | 31+3⁄4 in (0.81 m) | 9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) | 6 ft 5+3⁄8 in (1.97 m) | 32[12] | |||||||
| All values from NFL Combine[13][14] | ||||||||||||
Tennessee Titans
2022 season
Willis was drafted in the third round (86th overall) of the 2022 NFL draft by the Tennessee Titans.[15] He was considered a surprise fall in the draft as he was projected by some to be selected as high as second overall.[16][17] Willis signed his four-year rookie contract on July 23, 2022.[18]
Willis made his NFL debut in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills in the third quarter after the Titans benched Ryan Tannehill. He completed one of four passes for six yards and rushed for 16 yards during the 41–7 road loss.[19] Willis was named the starter for the Week 8 matchup against the Houston Texans, relieving Tannehill due to illness.[20] In his first start, Willis completed 6 of 10 pass attempts for 55 yards and an interception during the 17–10 road victory.[21] Willis started in place of an injured Tannehill the following week against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football.[22] He completed five of 16 passes for 80 yards to go along with 40 rushing yards in the 20–17 overtime road loss.[23] During Week 16 against the Texans, Willis started in place of Tannehill, who had aggravated an ankle injury. Willis finished the 19–14 loss completing 14 of 23 passes for 99 yards and two interceptions while also rushing for 43 yards and a touchdown.[24]
2023 season
Willis only attempted five passes in 2023.[25]
Green Bay Packers
2024 season
On August 26, 2024, Willis was traded to the Green Bay Packers for a seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft.[26]
After Jordan Love suffered an MCL sprain in the season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles, Willis was named the starter for the Week 2 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts.[27] In his first start of the season, Willis completed 12-of-14 passes for 122 yards and his first NFL touchdown while also rushing for 41 yards during the 16–10 victory.[28] In the next game against his former team, the Tennessee Titans, Willis completed 13-of-19 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown and led the team in rushing with 73 yards and a touchdown during the 30–14 road victory.[29] With Love healthy, Willis did not appear again until Week 8 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, leading the Packers to a game-winning drive after Love left with a groin injury in the second half.[30]
2025 season
Willis did not make an appearance until the Week 11 27–20 road victory against the New York Giants. Taking over for an injured Jordan Love, Willis entered the game with the ball on the Giants' 40-yard line and capped a six-play drive with a touchdown pass before Love returned for the next series.[31] During Week 16 against the Chicago Bears, Willis entered the game after Love suffered a concussion in the second quarter.[32] Willis finished the 22–16 overtime road loss completing 9-of-11 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 44 yards.[33] Willis had his first start of the season during Week 17 at home against the Baltimore Ravens as Love was still out on concussion protocol. He completed 18-of-21 passes for 288 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 60 yards and 2 touchdowns and finishing the game with a 134.6 passer rating.[34]
Miami Dolphins
On March 12, 2026, Willis signed with the Miami Dolphins on a three-year, $67.5 million deal.[35]
Career statistics
NFL
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Sacked | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Sck | Yds | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2022 | TEN | 8 | 3 | 1–2 | 31 | 61 | 50.8 | 276 | 4.5 | 48 | 0 | 3 | 42.8 | 27 | 123 | 4.6 | 17 | 1 | 10 | 49 | 3 | 2 |
| 2023 | TEN | 3 | 0 | — | 4 | 5 | 80.0 | 74 | 14.8 | 48 | 0 | 0 | 118.8 | 5 | 21 | 4.2 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 30 | 1 | 1 |
| 2024 | GB | 7 | 2 | 2–0 | 40 | 54 | 74.1 | 550 | 10.2 | 51 | 3 | 0 | 124.8 | 20 | 138 | 6.9 | 29 | 1 | 8 | 37 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | GB | 4 | 1 | 0–1 | 30 | 35 | 85.7 | 422 | 12.1 | 40 | 3 | 0 | 145.5 | 22 | 123 | 5.6 | 22 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 2 | 0 |
| Career[25] | 22 | 6 | 3–3 | 105 | 155 | 67.7 | 1,322 | 8.5 | 51 | 6 | 3 | 98.9 | 74 | 405 | 5.5 | 29 | 4 | 25 | 131 | 7 | 4 | |
College
| Season | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2017 | Auburn | 7 | 0 | 0–0 | 6 | 7 | 85.7 | 45 | 1 | 0 | 186.9 | 16 | 221 | 13.8 | 1 |
| 2018 | Auburn | 5 | 0 | 0–0 | 5 | 7 | 71.4 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 100.2 | 12 | 88 | 7.3 | 1 |
| 2019 | Liberty | Did not play due to NCAA transfer rules | |||||||||||||
| 2020 | Liberty | 10 | 10 | 9–1 | 170 | 265 | 64.2 | 2,260 | 20 | 6 | 156.2 | 141 | 944 | 6.7 | 14 |
| 2021 | Liberty | 13 | 13 | 8–5 | 207 | 339 | 61.1 | 2,857 | 27 | 12 | 151.1 | 197 | 878 | 4.5 | 13 |
| Career | 35 | 23 | 17–6 | 388 | 618 | 62.8 | 5,186 | 48 | 18 | 153.1 | 366 | 2,131 | 5.8 | 29 | |
Personal life
Willis' uncle is 10-year NFL linebacker James Anderson.[36]
Willis was raised as and remains a Christian. Most of his social media posts conclude with "TGFE," which is short for "Thank God for Everything."[37]
