At their best, the Miami Dolphins feel nearly unstoppable. After all, head coach Mike McDaniel and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa helped the Dolphins lead the NFL in total yards in 2023 while ranking second in scoring.
Yet, despite reaching the playoffs in two of his three seasons as head coach, McDaniel and Tagovailoa have yet to get a playoff win. Now, after missing the postseason altogether in 2024, some wonder if the Dolphins are inching closer and closer to a total organizational reset.
Specifically, NFL Network’s insider Tom Pelissero believes the Dolphins will have “decisions to make” if Tagovailoa suffers more injuries this season. That could potentially involve moving on from coach McDaniel and/or Tagovailoa too.
💻 @TomPelissero #PhinsUp is taking a flyer on Darren Waller returning to form and is this a make-or-break year for Tua/McDaniel combo?#NFL pic.twitter.com/W1wMrR0THt
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) July 3, 2025
The Dolphins still have Tagovailoa under contract through the 2028 season, where he’ll have an astonishing $65.8 million cap hit. For now, Tagovailoa is set to have a more reasonable $39.1 million cap hit in 2025, but that number spikes to $56.4 million in 2026.
In other words, if Tagovailoa can’t contribute to fueling the Dolphins to a playoff win, he could very well be forced to pack his bags next offseason. Yet, unloading his contract won’t be easy, especially if he’s unable to play at a high level for the entire season.
Related: Miami Dolphins interested in trading for recently drafted tight end
Sports fan since birth. I am also passionate about cars, music, and anything funny. Minnesotan, born and raised. Maybe ... More about Andrew Buller-Russ