Tua Tagovailoa
Getty
The Dolphins have been linked to Kyler Murray as a potential replacement for Tua Tagovailoa
The Miami Dolphins have indicated early in the offseason that they are planning on undergoing a long-term rebuild. Several players, such as Tyreek Hill and Bradley Chubb, have already been released, and it seems like only a matter of time until Tua Tagovailoa is on the move as well. Assuming that happens, the Dolphins will need a new quarterback for the upcoming season.
After benching Tagovailoa late in the 2025 campaign, Miami turned things over to seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers, but he didn’t show much during his time under center. As a result, the Dolphins are expected to target a replacement for Tagovailoa in free agency, and that led to them recently getting linked to former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, who is set to get released once the new league year begins next week.
Dolphins Floated as Potential Destination for Kyler Murray
By now, Tagovailoa’s story with the Dolphins is fairly common knowledge. The No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Tagovailoa appeared set to take the league by storm after he led all passers with 4,624 yards in 2023. Over the past two seasons, though, Tagovailoa has completely fallen apart, to the point where Miami is willing to eat over $99 million in dead money just to get rid of him.
In Arizona, Murray has experienced a similar fall from grace. Early in his career, Murray appeared set to become one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the NFL. Injuries and a dysfunctional Cardinals‘ offense tanked Murray, though, and similar to Tagovailoa, he is expected to be on the move this offseason.
The big issue for Miami when it comes to moving on from Tagovailoa is that the financial impact of releasing him (or somehow finding a trade partner for him) makes finding a replacement very difficult. Considering how Murray is in a similar situation with the Cardinals, though, he is one of the few quarterbacks the Dolphins could actually afford to sign, with NFL.com recently labeling the team as a potential landing spot for the two-time Pro Bowler.
“With the Dolphins staring at paying $99.2 million in dead money (likely spread over the next two years) on Tua Tagovailoa’s contract, they need a cheap option to fill the gap,” Kevin Patra wrote. “The Dolphins’ new brass keeps insisting on the plan to field a competitive roster in 2026, despite the challenges. Kyler might not fit the size profile, but he is the best option available.”
Should the Dolphins Sign Kyler Murray?
Kyler Murray
GettyArizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.
Miami finds itself stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to the quarterback position. Simply put, there isn’t a great option for the team heading into the 2026 campaign. While the front office would ideally like to make a run at a guy like Malik Willis in free agency, it doesn’t look like it will have the money to do so. That is going to force them to look at bargain-bin options like Murray.
While Murray is in a similar spot as Tagovailoa, you can make an argument that the poor coaching infrastructure played a bigger role in his demise with the Cardinals. If given the tools to succeed, Murray could be a solid bounce-back candidate in 2026. From a schematic standpoint, Murray may not be the cleanest fit, but with so few other options available, Miami may have no choice but to make a push to sign him in free agency.