The Miami Dolphins pulled the plug on Tua Tagovailoa late in 2025, rolling with rookie QB Quinn Ewers for the final three games of the season.
The former Alabama standout threw 15 interceptions, lost one fumble, and had a passer rating of 88.5 in his last season under Mike McDaniel’s tutelage.
That’s why, now that there’s a new general manager and coaching staff in South Beach, the Dolphins are more than likely to move on from the former first-round pick.
However, as much as they would benefit from finding a trade partner, that might not be realistic right now. According to ESPN insider Dan Graziano, they will have no choice but to release him and absorb his massive dead-cap hit.
The Dolphins Won’t be Able to Trade Tua Tagovailoa
“The Dolphins continue to tell people that they’ve had trade talks with teams and haven’t given up on trying to trade Tagovailoa, even though that would mean picking up a significant portion of his $54M in fully guaranteed 2026 salary,” Graziano explained. “But based on my conversations with other teams, I’m skeptical, and I expect Miami to release Tagovailoa by the third day of the league year (when $3M of his 2027 salary would become fully guaranteed). The Dolphins will almost certainly designate him as a post-June 1 release to help defray some of the $99.2M in dead money it will cost to release him.”
The Dolphins signed Tagovailoa to a four-year, $212 million extension. He’s still under contract through the 2028 season, with cap hits of $56.2M, $53.4M, and $65.8M in the next three campaigns, according to Spotrac.
He has played only 17 games in his career, and he’s made just 11 and 14 appearances over the past couple of seasons.
His erratic play, lack of mobility and size, and concerns about his concussions cast doubts about his future as a starter. Then again, with the shortage of high-end quarterback options this offseason, a team might be willing to roll the dice on him with a one-year, “prove it” type deal.
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