The Dolphins entered the 2020 NFL Draft in need of a franchise quarterback. Joe Burrow headlined the class after a national championship- and Heisman Trophy-winning season at LSU in 2019. With Burrow coming off an incredible 60-touchdown campaign, the Dolphins showed interest in moving up from the fifth spot to land him. However, the Bengals stayed put at No. 1 and selected Burrow.
Four picks after Burrow went off the board, the Dolphins settled for former Alabama signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa. It turns out they were extremely aggressive in trying to nab Burrow first.
Armed with three first-rounders in 2020 and another two in 2021, the Dolphins offered the Bengals a package of four firsts for the No. 1 pick, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. They’d have drafted Burrow had Cincinnati signed off on the trade. However, the Bengals were committed enough to Burrow that they didn’t entertain the proposal, according to Schefter.
A half-decade later, Tagovailoa’s tenure in Miami may be on the verge of ending. The 27-year-old had success earlier in his career, even earning a four-year, $212.4MM extension in July 2024, but he’ll serve in a third-string role against the Burrow-led Bengals on Sunday. Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel decided earlier this week to bench Tagovailoa for seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers.
Even though Tagovailoa’s owed a guaranteed $54MM in 2026, Miami is “prepared” to cut ties with him in the offseason, per Schefter. The Dolphins will likely part with him before $3MM of his 2027 salary becomes guaranteed on March 15.
Schefter points to the possibility of a trade in which the Dolphins offer a team draft compensation and pay “a heavy portion” of Tagovailoa’s contract. Tagovailoa would have to take a pay cut to facilitate a trade, notes Schefter, who adds it’s likely he’d have a say in where he goes next.
If the Dolphins are unable to execute a trade, it seems they’ll release Tagovailoa at the cost of a record $99MM in dead money. They’d spread that total over two seasons, leaving Tagovailoa to search for another team on the open market.
Like Tagovailoa, Burrow earned a massive raise earlier in his career. The Bengals gave him a five-year, $275MM extension in September 2023. Burrow, who nearly lead the Bengals to a win over the Rams in Super Bowl LVI, was coming off back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances at the time.
The Bengals haven’t returned to the playoffs since they locked up Burrow, though the two-time Pro Bowler remains among the league’s premier passers when healthy. Injuries have been a frequent occurrence during his career, however, including a nine-game absence this year. He returned from a toe injury in Week 13, but with two losses in three games since then, the Bengals are 4-10 and out of contention.
While Burrow is frustrated with the Bengals’ struggles, it doesn’t appear he’ll join Tagovailoa on the market of available QBs in the offseason. Burrow expects to remain in Cincinnati in 2026.
$99.0MM to Stephen Ross is like $99k to most
other people. It’s a lot of money but not an insurmountable figure.
Idk about you, but $99k is a TON of money to me
The problem is there’s a salary cap. 99 mil is a tough nut to crack.
In retrospect
Suppose the Bengals took the deal and drafted Herbert instead of Tua with the 5th pick
I would think Herbert, 3 extra firsts, and their own draft picks they’d be in a better place than they currently are.
But it’s also the Bengals and they could bungle the deal all together as well.
Lol
so glad they didn’t wreck herbert.. but would have been interesting to see the numbers throwing to hill and waddle