The Miami Dolphins announced their six captains for the 2026 season over the weekend, and quarterback Malik Willis was unsurpisingly among them after receiving a three-year, $67.5 million deal to be their starting quarterback.
However, while a quarterback should always be one of the captains of a team by nature of the position, Willis has really proved himself an exceptional leader throguhout training camp and the preseason.
Speaking with the media on Monday, Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley expressed his feelings about Willis earning the votes from his peers.
"I think that goes to anybody who's ever talked to him, you can feel that quiet leadership about him," Hafley said. "He has a special way to connect with the players in his own way. Sometimes
it's vocally, sometimes it's behind the scenes and I think a lot of it too is his work ethic and the work he put in. If you think about it, I just think it's a really cool example of a guy who really started out rocky in his career, didn't really go very well, was traded to another team, was the backup, and now here he is as a captain. So I think it's a cool message for everybody who's on our team right now about being persistent, putting in hard work, being true to yourself, and it doesn't always happen right away. So I'm really happy for Malik"
Hafley's just as happy for the rest of the group.
"I'm excited," he said. "I mean, the players voted for those guys, and I think they deserved it. In each of their own way they've showed the ability to lead in all different ways. I think it says a lot about those six guys that they received the votes from their peers. I'm excited for those guys. I think those guys kind of set the standard of what we want and what we're looking for, but it doesn't end there. I think developing leaders is very important and it doesn't have to just come from the captains and I talked to the team about that today. But I'm excited for those six guys. I think they've earned it. I think some of them a year or two ago, or three years ago, might not have been in that position. But I think it's misconception when you say, ‘oh, you don't have any leaders here or there,’ I think you can develop leaders and there's certain ways to do that. And it comes in many different ways, so I'm excited about all six of them."
It's unknown if Willis will find success with the Dolphins in 2026, but he's doing all of the right things with his team. We'll see if that translates starting Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley reveals how happy is for his starting QB
