Tua Tagovailoa
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Dolphins' general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan confirmed that the team is looking to trade Tua Tagovailoa
The offseason is still young, but the Miami Dolphins already look like a completely different team. With Jon-Eric Sullivan taking over as the team’s new general manager and Jeff Hafley being hired to be their new head coach, the Dolphins have a new regime in place. So far, several key players (including Tyreek Hill and Bradley Chubb) have been released, and that appears to only be the tip of the iceberg.
The next guy who will likely be headed out the exit door is embattled quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Rumors have suggested that the team is looking to trade Tagovailoa rather than release him, and when speaking on the former first-round pick’s future with the Dolphins, Sullivan provided an eye-opening update on the left-handed quarterback’s status.
Jon-Eric Sullivan Confirms Tua Tagovailoa Trade Rumors
Cameron Wolfe
Dolphins GM Jon-Eric Sullivan on Tua Tagovailoa status “everything is on table, including possibility of a trade.”
Sully said Tua hasn’t requested a trade. As we’ve noted, Dolphins are in process of finding new franchise QB & team preference is a trade over a release. We’ll see.
The rise and fall of Tagovailoa has thrown the Dolphins’ future up in the air. Selected with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Tagovailoa appeared to be blossoming into a star in 2023, when he led the league with 4,624 passing yards, which helped him earn the first Pro Bowl selection of his career.
Over the past two seasons, though, Tagovailoa has completely unraveled. Whether it be due to his injury issues or former head coach Mike McDaniel’s offense falling apart, Tagovailoa was borderline unplayable in 2025 (260/384, 2,660 YDS, 20 TD, 15 INT), and he ended up getting benched for the team’s final three regular-season games in favor of seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers.
With a new regime taking over, Miami hasn’t exactly been shy in indicating its desire to move on from Tagovailoa, with reports suggesting that the front office would rather trade him than just outright releasing him. At the 2026 NFL Draft Combine, Sullivan all but confirmed that the team is looking to trade Tagovailoa when discussing his future with the team.
“Dolphins GM Jon-Eric Sullivan on Tua Tagovailoa status ‘everything is on table, including possibility of a trade,'” Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network shared in a post on X. “Sully said Tua hasn’t requested a trade. As we’ve noted, Dolphins are in process of finding new franchise QB & team preference is a trade over a release. We’ll see.”
Will the Dolphins Be Able to Trade Tua Tagovailoa?
Tua Tagovailoa quarterback Miami Dolphins
GettyMIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 28: Tua Tagovailoa #1 of the Miami Dolphins looks on from the sideline during the second half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Hard Rock Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
The front office’s desire to trade Tagovailoa is strictly financial, as it will help the team negate some of the damage that will come from offloading the remainder of the four-year, $212.5 million contract he signed back in 2024. Simply put, the Dolphins would actually lose cap space if they released Tagovailoa at any point this offseason, whereas trading him could allow them to save up to $42.8 million.
Of course, if Miami somehow finds a trade partner for Tagovailoa, it is going to have to eat a sizable chunk of the money on his deal in order to make it happen. But with the team outwardly saying it will just release him if it can’t find a trade partner, that strips them of any leverage they may have held (which wasn’t much to begin with). At this point, it seems more likely that Tagovailoa will get cut, but crazier things have happened in the NFL.