Dolphins’ $100m Tua Tagovailoa decision confirmed as NFC team offers Miami flop shot at redemption
Tua Tagovailoa is no longer a Miami Dolphin.
A disastrous 2025 season that saw rookie Quinn Ewers handed the reins proved to be the final straw.
The Dolphins will release their passer when the league year officially begins Wednesday and eat a record $99 million in dead cap to move on.
“As we move forward, we will be focused on infusing competition across the roster and establishing a strong foundation for this team as we work towards building a sustained winner,” general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said in a statement.
The move will be designated as post-June 1 to allow Miami to spread the financial burden over the next two years.
It will still cast a long shadow over any rebuild and a $67.4 million dead hit in 2026 could result in another season of struggles.
Tagovailoa threw for 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in 14 games before being benched and will now look for a place to rebuild his career.
As Super Bowl champion Sam Darnold has proved with the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks, there can be light at the end of the tunnel, but fit is essential.
In Tagovailoa’s favor is the fact that with Miami on the hook for his massive salary, potential suitors can offer the league minimum $1.3 million contract to bring him in.
Tua Tagovailoa’s next team
The Atlanta Falcons have emerged as a leading contender for his signature.
After moving on from Kirk Cousins, the Falcons are hoping that Michael Penix Jr. will be fit for the start of the 2026 season after undergoing ACL surgery.
At very least, an alternative will need to be brought in to provide insurance, but Penix Jr.’s job is far from secure after inconsistent performances.
New head coach Kevin Stefanski could hedge his bets with Tagovailoa as an experienced backup who could ultimately end up winning the starting job.
“The best argument I could make for bringing in Tagovailoa would be that he’s so bad that Penix wouldn’t be threatened by him, and that’s not exactly a great selling point,” The Athletic’s Josh Kendall wrote. “Tagovailoa has gone from the Pro Bowl in 2023 to throwing the fifth-most interceptions in the league in the last two seasons, and Miami seems willing to eat $99 million in dead cap space to get him out of the locker room.”
Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano is slightly more optimistic.
“Tagovailoa doesn’t really fit that mold, but at 28, he’s an interesting reclamation project if the Falcons are already doubting Penix’s long-term future,” he wrote. “His injury history is definitely a concern, but his talent is undeniable.
“If Stefanski is the quarterback guru the Falcons hope he is, he might be able to fix him.”
There are other potential landing spots for Tagovailoa.
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The New York Jets have moved on from Justin Fields, while the Cleveland Browns are once again entering a season with huge question marks hanging over the QB room.
NFL Network analyst Marc Ross thinks the former Dolphins’ struggles mean his market could be small.
“I don’t think there will be teams clamoring to get Tua,” Ross exclusively told talkSPORT’s Brian T. Smith.
“Unlike Kyler (Murray), where he’s still young, he’s still dynamic and he’s shown that maybe there’s still something left.
“Tua — he’s here and he’s kept going down. Teams have kind of figured out what he does well and what he can’t do well.
“And the coach there, Mike McDaniel, did a great job of working that system around him and then it kind of got figured out.
“He just has such severe limitations, and I saw that coming out of college. I wasn’t sure why most didn’t.”
That could see the Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers enter the fray and snap up Tagovailoa as an inexpensive No. 2.
The Chiefs would at least offer a chance to get some film on tape as Patrick Mahomes could miss the start of the season.
As for Miami, Malik Willis is a big-name target, while Geno Smith and Kyler Murray are also on the board.
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