Regardless of the New England Patriots' undeniable supremacy in the AFC East since 2000, the Miami Dolphins have, for whatever reason, always been a thorn in their side. In fact, they hold a 64-57 lead in the all-time series, even after a two-game sweep last season.
That's why it's always nice to see them make an obvious mistake. While Patriots fans would have probably rather them hold onto quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, his replacement might also be in for a rude awakening.
As FanSided's Jake Beckman pointed out, Jeff Hafley's first mistake as the new head coach in Miami might also be his biggest one. He brought Malik Willis with him, and with the way that roster is shaping up, things might get ugly in 2026.
"They traded guys and got draft picks… But they also decided to spend $22-ish million on quarterback Malik Willis," Beckman wrote. "It doesn’t really make sense, especially since one of the trades they made sent Jaylen Waddle to Denver."
The Dolphins may have created a nightmare situation for Malik Willis (and all Patriots fans can do is laugh)
The Dolphins gave Willis a two-year, $71 million contract to follow his former defensive coordinator to South Florida. Essentially, he went from being a solid backup on a reasonable deal to being one of the most overpaid starters in the game.
Willis has limited experience as a starter. It's not the same to fill in for Jordan Love and play with a plethora of pass catchers as he had with the Green Bay Packers than to join a team with a receiving corps consisting of Malik Washington, Jalen Tolbert, Caleb Douglas, and Greg Dulcich.
The Dolphins let most of their best players go, and even though they've said all the right things about wanting to give De'Von Achane a contract extension, chances are they will also move on from their playmaking running back.
With all eyes on Foxborough after a heartbreaking loss in the Super Bowl, Mike Vrabel's team will be on a mission to prove that last season's success wasn't a fluke. As such, they will gladly take what should be two easy wins against Willis and the Dolphins.
Even if Willis has improved after two years under Matt LaFleur's tutelage, and as dangerous as he might be as a dual-threat quarterback, he just won't have any weapons to work with. Add a first-time head coach with a defensive background to the mix, and the Patriots should be licking their chops just thinking about these matchups.
Barring a shocking turn of events or the Dolphins taking a franchise-changing quarterback early in the 2027 NFL Draft, it looks like the Patriots have a prime chance to close the gap in the all-time series.
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