Tua Tagovailoa Has Not Requested Trade
As it stands, the Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa chapter is nearing an end. Most likely, that conclusion will come via release. No trade market is believed to exist for the slumping passer, and the Dolphins have been closely linked to Malik Willis.
A Tagovailoa release would tag the Dolphins with a record-setting $99.2MM. While that could be spread over two years via a post-June 1 designation, it would make reuniting Willis and new HC Jeff Hafley difficult. Tagovailoa has spoken highly of a fresh start, but new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan said (via NFL.com’s Cameron Wolfe) the six-year veteran has not requested a trade.
“We’re evaluating the entire roster,” Sullivan said at the Combine. “As it pertains to Tua, we’ve had conversations with Tua and his representation. Everything is on the table, including the potential of a trade. We don’t know which way that’s going to go. There’s a lot of different factors at play, a lot of conversations being had.”
These comments remind of Sullivan’s most recent remarks from a Dolphins fan event, where the former Packers exec mentioned he had spoken to Tagovailoa about his future. It would surprise if Miami found a trade taker. In the event one does form, the Dolphins would need to eat plenty of the southpaw QB’s $54MM 2026 guarantee.
With Zach Wilson a free agent, the Dolphins have Quinn Ewers — their end-of-season starter following Tua’s benching — as a possible starter. Sullivan reiterated he plans to infuse his new QB room with competition. That would point to a free agency addition and a draft choice coming in. This is not viewed as a deep quarterback class on either front, potentially pointing to Ewers — a 2025 seventh-round pick — having a legitimate shot to start in the event Miami cannot lure Willis.
As PFR’s Dolphins Offseason Outlook notes, Miami will need to act by March 13. Another $18MM guarantee — via a $15MM option bonus and $3MM 2027 salary guarantee — will vest for the embattled QB on that date. It would be stunning if Tua remained a Dolphin after that date. It is widely expected this process will remind of the Broncos’ 2024 Russell Wilson ending, when the AFC West team cut the disappointing arm to bring a record-shattering $84.6MM in dead money. The Dolphins are on the verge of eclipsing that number by a wide margin, barring something unforeseen.
Dolphins Add Jon Robinson To Front Office
New Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan is adding a former GM to his front office. The Dolphins are hiring Jon Robinson as a senior personnel executive, according to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Robinson met with the Jets about their GM gig in December 2024 and later conducted two interviews with the Jaguars for their vacant post last winter. He didn’t land either position, though, and will now return to the NFL for the first time since the Titans fired him as their GM in December 2022.
Before his seven-year reign in Tennessee, Robinson worked in scouting roles with the Patriots from 2002-12. He left the dynastic Pats to serve as the Buccaneers’ director of player personnel from 2013-15.
The Titans’ firing of Robinson came as a surprise at the time. While the club finished a lackluster 7-10 in 2022, it was 7-5 when owner Amy Adams Strunk canned Robinson. His teams won between nine and 12 games in each season from 2016-21. The Titans earned four playoff berths and two AFC South titles along the way, but they never got past the conference championship game.
Robinson’s ouster happened to come shortly after Eagles receiver/ex-Titan A.J. Brown torched his former club for eight catches, 119 yards and two touchdowns in Week 13. The timing was curious, though Strunk said she had already decided Robinson’s fate before the Titans lost a 35-10 blowout that day. Despite extending Robinson’s contract during the previous offseason, she quickly grew displeased with his roster.
Robinson was wise to spend a 2019 second-round pick on Brown, who developed into a star. On the other hand, in trading Brown to the Eagles for a first- and third-round pick in 2022, Robinson wasted a prime asset. He used the first-rounder, No. 18 overall, on former Arkansas wideout Treylon Burks. The Titans waived Burks last October after he busted over three years in their uniform.
Robinson’s last draft in Tennessee also included third-round quarterback Malik Willis. In assessing the former Liberty passer then, Robinson said: “He was the best player on the board, and excited to add him to the team. … Good arm, athletic, moves around well. Got a really good skillset. Throws a good ball. He is tough to tackle.”
Although Willis did not pan out with the Titans after Robinson chose him 86th overall, that pick is aging better. Willis’ stock is soaring on the heels of a successful two-year stint as Jordan Love‘s backup in Green Bay. Now two weeks away from hitting free agency, Willis will cash in big in March as he seeks a starting job. Robinson’s new team is among the rumored suitors.
New Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley, the Packers’ defensive coordinator during Willis’ time there, reportedly wants to sign the 26-year-old. Sullivan also came to South Florida from Green Bay. The fact that the GM who drafted Willis is now a member of Miami’s front office adds yet another interesting connection between the team and the coveted QB.
Dolphins Shopping Minkah Fitzpatrick
FEBRUARY 23: During his latest WSVN appearance on Sunday, Fitzpatrick’s agent Drew Rosenhaus said (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald) no trade request has been made in this case. Fitzpatrick is nevertheless a stronger candidate to be dealt than some of his teammates, so another deal sending him out of Miami remains something to watch for.
FEBRUARY 18: Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick may be part of a mass offseason exodus of high-priced veterans in Miami. The Dolphins have discussed a Fitzpatrick trade with other teams, veteran insider Jordan Schultz reports. It’s unclear if they have made progress in those talks.
[RELATED: Dolphins Offseason Outlook]
Fitzpatrick, a Dolphins first-round pick in 2018, is in his second stint with the franchise. His first run ended when the Dolphins traded him to the Steelers in September 2019 for a package headlined by a 2020 first-rounder. The Dolphins wound up re-acquiring Fitzpatrick in a swap involving another decorated defensive back, Jalen Ramsey, and tight end Jonnu Smith last June.
Fitzpatrick did not add to his five Pro Bowl nods and three first-team All-Pro selections in his first season back in Miami. However, the 29-year-old still put together another productive season.
Over 14 games (all starts), Fitzpatrick tallied 82 tackles, six passes defensed, two fumble recoveries, an interception and his first career sack. Logging a significant number of snaps in the slot, at free safety and in the box, Pro Football Focus ranked Fitzpatrick a superb fifth among 91 qualifying safeties.
Despite his strong output, the floundering Dolphins were open to trading Fitzpatrick before last season’s Nov. 4 deadline. Nothing came together then, but with a new regime of general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley, the rebuilding Dolphins are making over their roster. Fitzpatrick could soon follow wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, outside linebacker Bradley Chubb and guard James Daniels out the door. The team also figures to give quarterback Tua Tagovailoa his walking papers sometime soon.
The Dolphins were unable to trade the released group of Hill, Westbrook-Ikhine, Chubb and Daniels. Meanwhile, they’ve hit nothing but roadblocks in attempting to move Tagovailoa. Finding a taker for Fitzpatrick should be easier. He’s due a non-guaranteed base salary of $15.6MM in 2026, the last year of his contract. The Dolphins would take on approximately $13MM in dead money with a pre-June 1 trade, but they’d free up $5.83MM in cap space.
Cardinals Expected To Pursue QB Malik Willis; Latest On Dolphins’ QB Plans
In a year featuring a quarterback draft class that is perceived to be a weak one outside of presumptive No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza, soon-to-be free agent Malik Willis is becoming a hot commodity. We have already heard that the Browns, Dolphins, and Steelers could be involved in Willis’ market, and Tony Pauline of Essentially Sports hears the Cardinals will be in on Willis as well.
In fact, Pauline’s sources predict Willis ultimately will land in Arizona. The most recent reporting on the Cards’ incumbent QB1, Kyler Murray, indicated the club is undecided as to how it will proceed with the former No. 1 overall pick, who is already guaranteed $36.8MM in compensation for the upcoming season. That said, it would come as no surprise if the Cardinals move on, with a trade the preferred option but a release looking like the more realistic outcome.
Assuming Murray is done in the desert, as Pauline believes, the Cardinals will need to add to their QB room. While Jacoby Brissett played well in relief of Murray last season and could serve as a stopgap solution – he is under contract through 2026 – the 33-year-old journeyman does not profile as a long-term option.
Willis, who will turn 27 in May, could fit that description. The former third-round pick of the Titans has spent the past two years as a backup to Jordan Love in Green Bay, and though his playing time has been limited, he has flashed enough potential to generate notable interest. In his Packers tenure, which includes a 2-1 record as a starter, Willis has completed 70 of 89 passes (78.7%) for 972 yards and six touchdowns without throwing a pick. He has added 42 carries for 261 yards and three TDs.
Like the Cardinals, the Dolphins would prefer to trade their own former first-round signal-caller, Tua Tagovailoa, but are likely to be forced to release him. Pauline confirms that Tagovailoa is not expected to be back with the ‘Fins in 2026, and he says there is an “overwhelming belief” that Miami’s new head coach, Jeff Hafley, wants to bring Willis to South Beach.
Hafley spent the past two seasons as Green Bay’s defensive coordinator, and the Dolphins’ new GM, Jon-Eric Sullivan, was a Packers staffer for 22 years before Miami brought him aboard last month. Their connection to Willis is therefore understandable, though the club’s unenviable salary cap situation could make it difficult for them to compete for his services.
At present, the ‘Fins have just $3.18MM of cap room, and even after more cost-shedding moves, they may not be in a position to win a bidding war. That could point them to a cheaper option like Jimmy Garoppolo.
In that scenario, Garoppolo would not necessarily be handed the QB1 mantle. After all, Bobby Slowik, who was recently promoted from passing game coordinator to offensive coordinator, is said to be a “big fan” of 2025 seventh-rounder Quinn Ewers.
Ewers held his own over the final three games of the ‘25 campaign, his first taste of regular season action in the pros. Pauline’s sources believe the Texas product deserves a chance at a longer audition, particularly since he was seen as a Day 2 prospect who surprisingly fell to the seventh round. If the Dolphins cannot land Willis, Pauline hears the team plans to give Ewers a chance to start while bringing in an inexpensive veteran like Garoppolo to function as the backup.
Dolphins Do Not Intend To Trade De’Von Achane, Jaylen Waddle
The Dolphins turned down offers for running back De’Von Achane and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle at the trade deadline, and their stance on the matter has not changed heading into the offseason.
Miami still sees their speedy offensive skill players as “core players,” according to NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe, and have no desire to trade them as a result.
Achane, 24, just finished a career-best season with 1,838 yards from scrimmage and an NFL-high 5.7 yards per carry. He will become eligible for an extension in the new league year, and his next contract will likely make him one of the highest-paid running backs in the NFL.
At the deadline, the Dolphins reportedly set a price of “a second-round pick and more” for Achane that no other team was willing to meet. As the draft approaches – and more teams begin to fall in love with Day 1 and 2 prospects – the chances of Miami getting such a haul for their young running back will likely drop. That kind of an offer may no longer be good enough, either, as the new front office and coaching staff could see Achane as a foundational part of their offense.
Waddle, 27, just finished his second straight season under 1,000 receiving yards after eclipsing that number in his previous three years. Much of that regression can be attributed to the Dolphins’ issues at quarterback and general offensive woes in 2025.
The Dolphins demanded a first-round pick “and then some” for Waddle at the deadline with no team making such an offer. The 2021 No. 6 pick has three years remaining on his contract with a $15.4MM option bonus due on March 20. He currently has no other guaranteed money in the future, though $8.2MM of his 2027 salary will become guaranteed early in the 2027 league year, per OverTheCap. That much contract control for a star wide receiver is another reason why the Dolphins set such a high price for Waddle in the past and plan to hold onto him moving forward.
The Dolphins would be more inclined to trade Minkah Fitzpatrick, per Wolfe, aligning with earlier reporting that the team was shopping the 29-year-old safety. Though they have hopes of quickly retooling around younger talents like Achane and Waddle, Fitzpatrick does not fit the timeline of a team that has yet to find its next quarterback.
Two Dolphins who may not be on the field at all next year – in Miami or elsehwere – are running back Alexander Mattison and offensive lineman Liam Eichenberg.
Mattison underwent emergency fusion surgery after a preseason neck injury in Chicago. The 27-year-old running back said (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald) that he is still recovering but expressed hope to play again in the future.
Eichenberg is in a similar situation. He spent the entire season on the physically unable to perform list due to a lingering knee injury that flared up during offseason practices.
“It was one of those things that just started happening working out, doing exercises,” Eichenberg said (via Jackson). “My knee was just kind of breaking down for the most part.”
Eichenberg declined to say if he underwent surgery to address the issue. As for his playing future, he plans to try to return to the field but did not offer much more information.
Dolphins Announce 2026 Coaching Staff
The Dolphins announced their 2026 coaching staff under new head coach Jeff Hafley last week with a number of previously unannounced hires on the list.
On offense, Miami added tight ends coach Ron Middleton and retained assistant TEs coach Lemuel Jeanpierre, and assistant wide receivers coach Jonathan Krause.
Middleton did not coach in 2025, but previously served as the tight ends coach for the Jets (2021-2024), Jaguars (2013-2020), and Buccaneers (2004-2006) with stints at Alabama and Duke between 2006 and 2013. A former tight end himself, Middleton spent a decade in the NFL with 118 appearances and 56 starts. He primarily featured as a blocker and won a Super Bowl with Washington in 1991.
Jeanpierre spent the last six seasons working with the Dolphins’ offensive line, with five years as an assistant and one leading the room in 2021. Like Middleton, Jeanpierre played in the NFL and won a Super Bowl (2013 with the Seahawks), though he lined up at guard, not the position he now coaches.
Krause has been with the Dolphins since 2023, first as an offensive assistant before he was promoted to his current role in 2024. He previously served as the wide receivers coach at UNLV (2021-2022) and San Diego State (2023), with earlier jobs at Vanderbilt and Oregon. Krause, a former wide receiver, also won a Super Bowl (2014 with the Patriots), though he only played in the regular season for the Eagles in 2015.
Kent State special teams coordinator/tight ends coach CJ Conrad is also expected to join Hafley’s staff, per CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz. The former Kentucky tight end spent one training camp with the Giants before returning to his alma mater as a graduate assistant in 2020. He then moved to Eastern Kentucky as a tight ends coach in 2023 and landed his job at Kent State last year.
The Dolphins’ new defense staff includes assistant defensive backs/nickels coach DeShawn Shead and quality control coach Siriki Diabate.
Shead was a member of the Legion of Boom on the same Super Bowl team as Jeanpierre. After a seven-year playing career, Shead returned to Seattle in 2023 as an assistant defensive backs coach before taking the same position in Miami the following year. He will not add nickels coach to his title, continuing a trend of NFL teams hiring a dedicated coach for that specific position.
Diabate is getting his first full-time opportunity in the NFL after previous internships with the Bills, Cowboys, Eagles, and Packers. Diabate played at Syracuse and began his coaching career at his alma mater in 2013. He worked for Colgate from 2015 to 2017 before taking a linebackers coach jobs at Middle Tennessee (2017-2021) and UConn (2022-2025). At the latter stop, he had the additional title of run game coordinator.
Offseason Outlook: Miami Dolphins
During an offseason in which several head coaches were held responsible for organizational shortcomings while general managers retained their jobs, the Dolphins were the rare team to start fresh. Despite initially giving Mike McDaniel some input in the team's GM search, the Dolphins canned their four-year HC and will reboot around Packers staffers.
Miami brought in Green Bay exec Jon-Eric Sullivan, who hired two-year Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to succeed McDaniel. Sullivan inherits a quarterback quandary, thanks to ousted GM Chris Grier's ill-advised Tua Tagovailoa extension. The Dolphins are staring at a record-setting dead money number. Were the team to keep Tagovailoa for one more season, a 2027 breakup would be much easier. As it stands, a 2026 separation looks like where this is headed. And it will overshadow Miami's first Sullivan-Hafley offseason.
Coaching/front office:
- Fired head coach Mike McDaniel
- Hired Jeff Hafley as HC replacement
- Hired Jon-Eric Sullivan as general manager
- Promoted senior pass-game coordinator Bobby Slowik to OC
- Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver became Ravens' DC
- Hired Sean Duggan a DC replacement
- Hired Kyle Smith as assistant GM, Chris Tabor as special teams coordinator
- Added Kevin Patullo as pass-game coordinator
- QBs coach hire Nathaniel Hackett became Cardinals' OC; Bush Hamdan named replacement
- Defensive pass-game coordinator Brian Duker became Jets' DC
- Retained defensive pass-game coordinator Joe Barry
- Added Ladell Betts as RBs coach, Tyke Tolbert as WRs coach
Reporting shifted in the wake of Grier's Halloween firing. McDaniel appeared to have done enough to retain his job for a fifth season. The Dolphins won four straight games to reach 6-7 and the fringes of the wild-card race. This included an upset win over the Bills. But an ugly showing in Pittsburgh on a Monday night brought big-picture changes.
Dolphins Could Pursue Jimmy Garoppolo
After six up-and-down years with the Dolphins, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will likely exit Miami in the near future. Releasing or trading Tagovailoa would put the Dolphins in position to add another veteran passer this offseason.
Packers backup Malik Willis is a rumored target, but the Dolphins are at a disadvantage in cap space (a projected $3.18MM, per OverTheCap) compared to other teams that may chase him. Rams reserve Jimmy Garoppolo, who should come at a much lower price than Willis, is also a name to watch for the Dolphins, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.
The 34-year-old Garoppolo spent the past two seasons behind 2025 MVP winner Matthew Stafford in Los Angeles. After starting one game in 2024, Garoppolo didn’t attempt a pass in three appearances last season. A crack at playing time in Miami, where Garoppolo would presumably compete with 2025 seventh-rounder Quinn Ewers, may entice the 12-year veteran.
Since beginning his career as a Patriots second-rounder in 2014, Garoppolo – once considered the heir apparent to Tom Brady – has played for four teams and accumulated 64 starts. His most recent attempt as a full-time starter came with the 2023 Raiders, who erred in handing him a three-year, $67.5MM deal in free agency that March. Eight months later, after Garoppolo performed poorly over six starts, the Raiders benched him for Aidan O’Connell in November. They released Garoppolo during the ensuing offseason.
Garoppolo’s Las Vegas stint did not go according to plan, but he was in position to land his expensive contract after enjoying success with the 49ers from 2017-22. In 2019, a career year, Garoppolo completed 69.1% of passes and threw for 3,978 yards, 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. The 49ers went 13-3 in the regular season and advanced to Super Bowl LIV, but they lost 31-20 to the Chiefs.
As PFR’s Sam Robinson noted in his Dolphins Offseason Outlook, new head coach Jeff Hafley and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik overlapped with Garoppolo in San Francisco. As the defensive backs coach from 2016-18, Hafley was on the other side of the ball. But Slowik worked closely with Garoppolo as an offensive assistant/pass-game specialist/pass-game coordinator from 2019-22. If the Dolphins are merely looking for an inexpensive stopgap to replace Tagovailoa, we could see Garoppolo reunite with Hafley and Slowik in 2026.
Dolphins Release WR Tyreek Hill
As expected, Tyreek Hill‘s tenure with the Dolphins is ending. The All-Pro wideout is among the veterans being let go on Monday. 
Hill is being released, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. This marks an end to his four-year run in Miami. As Hill continues to recover from the season-ending knee injury he suffered in Week 4, he will now become a free agent. The Dolphins have since confirmed the news.
[RELATED: Hill Plans To Play 11th NFL Season]
2026 was set to include $36MM in compensation in this case. Hill was due to collect a $5MM roster bonus as part of that figure in March, but many expected a release to take place well before that point. Miami has been busy on Monday, with the team’s list of veteran cuts including edge rusher Bradley Chubb and others. His release, along with that of Hill, will substantially alter the Dolphins’ cap situation.
Cutting Hill immediately would generate a slightly higher dead money charge ($28.25MM) than the cap savings it would create ($22.89MM). Like in Chubb’s case, a post-June 1 designation would be much more beneficial for the Dolphins. Taking that route would yield over $35MM in savings against while spreading out the dead cap charges across the next two years. In either case, Miami is well into cost-shedding season given the team’s actions today.
Hill is free to join another team, but since his injury there have been questions raised about his future. It will be interesting to see how much of a market forms in this case given the eight-time Pro Bowler’s health status. Hill is also the subject of an NFL investigation into domestic violence allegations. His history regarding other off-the-field issues represents another factor which could hinder Hill’s value.
The Dolphins received notable trade interest in Jaylen Waddle leading up to the 2025 deadline. To little surprise, Miami retained him. Waddle – who is under contract through the 2028 campaign – is now in line to handle WR1 duties moving forward. The rest of the team’s depth chart at the receiver position could see several changes this offseason.
Hill established himself as one of the league’s most productive players over the course of his Chiefs tenure. The former fifth-rounder was named a member of the 2010s All-Decade team based on his showings in Kansas City, and expectations were high upon arrival in Miami. The 2022 blockbuster deal which saw the Dolphins acquire Hill brought about five picks for the Chiefs and helped them reset their core. With the Dolphins, Hill proved to be a highly productive contributor.
In 2022, he broke the 1,700-yard threshold. Hill matched that feat the following season, leading the league in yards and touchdowns. A drop-off was suffered in 2024, a year in which the Dolphins dealt with quarterback injuries. Hill could be seen as a viable target in certain cases if suitors consider him a bounce-back candidate. Otherwise, his health status and intentions with respect to his future will be a major storyline.
The Dolphins are in position to usher in a new, young core during the opening year of the Jon-Eric Sullivan-Jeff Hafley era. Further changes can be expected, but several veteran contracts are already coming off the books in a sign of the wide berth granted by owner Stephen Ross. Inexpensive receivers will be targeted during the spring for Miami, while Hill will weigh his options.
Dolphins Release OLB Bradley Chubb
Bradley Chubb‘s time in Miami is coming to an end. The veteran edge rusher is being released by the Dolphins, as first reported by NFL insider Jordan Schultz. 
Chubb’s deal had one season remaining on it. However, none of his base pay for 2026 was guaranteed, leaving the door open to a release. It comes as little surprise Miami’s new regime is moving forward with this cut prior to March 12, when Chubb was due to collect a roster bonus. The Dolphins have since confirmed the move.
Roughly one year ago, Chubb agreed to a restructure which reduced his base salary for 2025. That move increased his cap hit for next year to over $31.5MM, though. Instead of attempting to work out another restructure or an extension, a release loomed as a logical direction for Miami. This move will generate a considerable dead money charge if it is processed immediately. On the other hand, a post-June 1 designation would create $20.23MM in savings for the Dolphins, one of the teams with work to do over the coming weeks to become cap compliant.
Chubb established himself as a productive sack artist during his time with the Broncos. Upon being acquired by the Dolphins via trade in 2022, the two-time Pro Bowler inked a five-year, $110MM extension. Chubb’s first full Miami campaign was stellar, as he racked up 11 sacks and six forced fumbles. An ACL tear suffered late in the season kept him sidelined for all of 2024, though.
Upon returning to full health, Chubb managed to remain in place for all 17 games in 2025. He recorded 8.5 sacks and 22 pressures while handling a full-time starting role. The Dolphins received considerable interest leading up to the trade deadline on multiple fronts, and Chubb was among the top targets for suitors. In the end, fellow pass rusher Jaelan Phillips was dealt while Chubb was retained. Both are now on track for free agency.
Entering his age-30 season, Chubb will be among the top edge rushers on the market. Interested teams could be cautious given his injury history, but the former No. 5 pick has shown an ability to produce when healthy. A contract similar to the one he landed in 2022 should not be expected, of course. Nevertheless, a strong market could emerge prior to the start of free agency.
The Dolphins, meanwhile, will remain a team to watch over the coming weeks. The new tandem of general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley is in line to move on from a number of expensive contracts. The fate of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa remains unclear, but other veterans could soon join Chubb in being on the move.