The Pittsburgh Steelers have a massive need at quarterback this offseason, and while all indications are that Aaron Rodgers will likely re-sign for a second season, GM Omar Khan and the organization have some options at a significant discount on the open market, should they choose to look elsewhere.
After the Arizona Cardinals released quarterback Kyler Murray and the Las Vegas Raiders released Geno Smith, putting both veteran quarterbacks on the open market despite having major guarantees attached to them, lowering the potential cost for new suitors due to offset language, the Miami Dolphins are set to add to the quarterback market.
Dolphins’ GM Jon-Eric Sullivan announced Monday morning in a statement from the team’s X account that Miami is moving on from Tua Tagovailoa. According to NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero, Tagovailoa will be designated a post-June 1 cut, allowing them to split nearly $100 million in dead cap hit across two seasons.
The Dolphins will use a post-June 1 designation for Tua, meaning as of June 1 they can split the dead cap hit: $67.4M in 2026 and $31.8M in 2027. https://t.co/Lwcv9Bx2Y9
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 9, 2026
Tagovailoa was set to count $56,267,647 against the cap in 2026 with a base salary of $39 million. But with a new GM in Sullivan and a new head coach in Jeff Hafley coming to Miami this offseason, the Dolphins decided now was the time to move on from the former No. 5 overall pick out of Alabama.
In six seasons in Miami, Tagovailoa had some highs and lows, and dealt with significant concussion issues that has raised concerns about his NFL career in the past.
Across those six seasons, Tagovailao played in 78 games with 76 starts for Miami, going 44-32 as a starter. He threw for 18,166 yards with 120 touchdowns to 59 interceptions. He had back-to-back strong seasons in 2022 and 2023, including a career-high 4,624 yards in 2023, but injuries and inconsistency in recent years plagued him.
The Dolphins under former head coach Mike McDaniel benched him late in the season after a Monday Night Football loss in Pittsburgh, giving rookie Quinn Ewers a shot, all but signaling that Tagovailoa’s time in Miami was coming to an end.
Now, he hits a crowded quarterback market with a ton of experience. Tagovailoa will be another quarterback that can sign for just the veteran minimum of $1.3 million due to offset language. He joins the likes of Murray, Smith, and soon names like Kirk Cousins and Justin Fields.
That should give the Steelers plenty of options, should they shift attention away from Aaron Rodgers and look elsewhere under first-year head coach Mike McCarthy.
Adding an experienced quarterback at a significant discount is what the Steelers did in 2024, landing Russell Wilson on a one-year, $1.2 million deal in free agency after the Denver Broncos cut him loose. Wilson had some success in Pittsburgh, going 6-5 with the Steelers, though he lost his final five games as a starter as things fell apart in the Steel City.
We’ll see if Khan and the Steelers want to go down that path once again at quarterback in 2026. If they do, the options are aplenty.
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