The Miami Dolphins look to be in for tough season ahead after a making a move that will cost them $100 million while moving on from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa after just two years of his contract
10:21 ET, 09 Mar 2026Updated 10:22 ET, 09 Mar 2026
NFL: OCT 12 Chargers at Dolphins
View 3 Images
The Dolphins have cut Tua Tagovailoa(Image: Getty)
The Miami Dolphins will have to endure the biggest dead cap hit in NFL history after announcing their decision to cut quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
The Dolphins signed Tagovailoa to a four-year, $214 million contract just two years ago. Now they have cut him with three years remaining on his deal. Tagovailoa made $124 million from his deal, with the Dolphins choosing to make the brutal decision to cut him after his struggling play in 2025 - losing his starting position to seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers.
Article continues below
Miami cutting Tagovailoa with three years remaining on his contract means they still must pay over $100m of his salary towards the salary cap. The Dolphins have opted to use a post-June 1 designation to cut Tagovailoa - which essentially allows them to spread the dead cap hit over two years in 2026 and 2027.
READ MORE: NFL star makes $124 million decision while awaiting tradeREAD MORE: Aaron Rodgers makes his feelings clear on Pittsburgh as Steelers decision looms
For the 2026 season, Tagovailoa will cost $67 million against the salary cap - the largest in NFL history for a player not on the roster. This will be followed by the Dolphins having to have $31.8 million designated to Tagovailoa against their salary cap.
To compare this with other players around the league, Myles Garrett will have a salary cap hit of $23 million in 2026 and $27 million in 2027. The Dolphins will be paying more than that, against their cap, towards Tagovailoa - all for him to play for another team.
Tagovailoa's contract will now be seen as one of the worst in NFL history, with his dead cap hit being the largest ever - and putting the Dolphins in an almost impossible position.
Tua Tagovailoa #1 calls a play to Tyreek Hill #10 of the Miami Dolphins during the first quarter of a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on October 22, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
View 3 Images
The Dolphins have moved on from both Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill(Image: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Miami now has just $3 million in cap space available to them, and that's after cutting both Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill.
Their roster now looks considerably weaker than last season, a year in which they won just seven games. They will be going into a different era with new head coach Jeff Hafley, after Mike McDaniel left after the 2025 season.
The Dolphins will now feel that they will need to nail all of their NFL Draft picks, with limited resources to be big players in free agency.
View 3 Images
Minkah Fitzpatrick has been traded from the Dolphins to the Jets
Miami has its first (#11), second (#43) and third-round picks (#75, #87 and #90), while needing to big improvements around their roster.
Article continues below
In another move on Monday, the Dolphins made a rare trade with their AFC East rival New York Jets to send Minkah Fitzpatrick for just a seventh-round pick - in a move that opens up $5 million in cap space.
Fitzpatrick will be seen as a big addition for the Jets, as one of the best deep safeties in the NFL.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins will be expected to make further moves to open up space, with Bradley Chubb likely to be cut and Devon Achane potentially traded.