Dolphins Nearing Decision On QB Tua Tagovailoa
Tua Tagovailoa entered the past five Dolphins seasons without a threat to his starting job. If he is to return to Miami — and as it stands, it appears more likely than not he won’t — another starter-caliber quarterback will be in the mix.
New GM Jon-Eric Sullivan assured fans at an event Thursday the team is nearing a decision on Tagovailoa’s Dolphins future. While the team is aiming to trade its longtime starter, a massive dead money bill — and the QB’s shaky play as of late — bring roadblocks.
“I don’t know what the future holds right now, and I told Tua that,” Sullivan said (via the SoFlo Sports Show’s Ashley Dominguez) of a recent conversation with the passer. “What I can tell you is we’re gonna infuse competition into that room, whether Tua’s part of that room or whether he’s not part of that room. We’re getting close to a decision, and when we do, we’re gonna let Tua know whether he’s gonna be part of this or not.”
The most recent report of a trade pursuit indicated the Dolphins will be ready to eat some of the quarterback’s 2026 compensation to facilitate a trade. Considering Tagovailoa is due $54MM guaranteed in 2026, the Dolphins may need to eat a sizable chunk of that money to convince a team to take on the former NFL passing leader. Tagovailoa is due a $39MM base salary; that will be a nonstarter for teams considering his 2025 play.
Coming over from the Packers, Sullivan is believed to have interest in bringing Green Bay backup Malik Willis to Miami. Sullivan has observed Willis up close for two seasons, but he will have company in pursuing the former third-round pick.
Willis has elevated his profile as Jordan Love‘s backup, and while it should not be considered a certainty Willis will be an upgrade on Tagovailoa, a handful of teams are seeking a bridge option. The Browns and Steelers are believed to be two other interested parties. The Cardinals, Jets and Vikings are also in the mix for veteran help. The Colts technically are as well, but it is widely assumed they will re-sign Daniel Jones. Meanwhile, the Cardinals are in the same boat as the Dolphins; they are looking to move Kyler Murray in a trade.
Both Tagovailoa and Murray were extended under previous GMs — Chris Grier and Steve Keim, respectively — and both would tag teams with substantial dead money. If the Dolphins were to trade Tua without taking on any salary, they would be hit with $45.2MM in dead money. That is unrealistic. It would likely take Miami picking up much of the tab, thus inflating that hit. The Broncos designated Russell Wilson as a post-June 1 cut in 2024, allowing them to spread his record-setting dead cap number ($84.6MM) over two years. If the Dolphins traded Tagovailoa before June 1, they would take on all the dead cap in one year. That would hamstring Sullivan in his first offseason, one that is also expected to include a Tyreek Hill post-June 1 release designation.
Dead money caused the Dolphins to wait until after June 1 to trade Jalen Ramsey last year, and they have made some painful post-June 1 designations (Byron Jones, Xavien Howard) in the recent past. A post-June 1 Tagovailoa cut, however, would smash the Wilson dead money mark and leave $99.2MM over the next two years for the Dolphins to handle. Naturally, the new regime is willing to eat money in a trade to avoid that scenario.
If the Dolphins rode out Tagovailoa’s 2026 guarantee, the Sullivan-Jeff Hafley regime could move on easier in 2027. No guaranteed money is on the deal after this coming season. Just more than $31MM in dead money would come Miami’s way in total in a 2027 release scenario, and a post-June 1 designation would bring $40MM in cap savings. The Dolphins could also hope a return to earlier form would generate a trade market come 2027.
Benched before Week 16, Tagovailoa would welcome a fresh start. Zach Wilson is unsigned, but the Dolphins have Quinn Ewers contracted through 2028. Will the ex-Packers power brokers be OK extending this relationship for one more year? New regimes generally are less concerned with dead money on holdover players. It will be interesting to see links between Tagovailoa and other teams emerge. At his best, the left-handed QB would be an upgrade for some. But on his $53.1MM-per-year contract, the Dolphins are potentially staring at another sunk cost from a Grier extension.
Dolphins Hope To Trade QB Tua Tagovailoa
With the 2025 NFL season officially over and most top coaching positions filled, the spotlight will now turn to the league’s annual quarterback carousel.
Among the passers likely to be available is Tua Tagovailoa, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. The Dolphins have long been expected to move on from the 2020 first-round pick as part of a full organizational overhaul, which also featured changes at head coach and general manager.
A trade would be preferable to an outright release for a number of reasons. Cutting Tagovailoa would incur a $99MM dead cap hit, the largest in NFL history. The Dolphins can restructure his deal to push the majority of that dead money into 2027 with a post-June 1 cut, but the extra cap savings would not be available until that date.
Finalizing a trade would allow Miami to part ways with Tagovailoa earlier in the offseason while also reducing the resulting financial impact. It would also get back some kind of return, though the draft compensation in such a deal may be minimal
Miami appears to be willing to eat some of Tagovailoa’s remaining contract to facilitate a trade, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The 27-year-old is owed $54MM in guaranteed money in 2026, comprised of a $39MM salary and a $15MM option bonus (via OverTheCap). Understandably, an acquiring team would not want to pick up that entire tab. But they might be willing to take on part of Tagovailoa’s deal if the Dolphins absorb the rest. In that event, a trade that yields draft picks and a dead cap charge under $99MM would be considered a major success for Miami’s new front office.
The Dolphins seem to be mulling their options as their new leaders step into their jobs. New offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik said (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald) that Tagovailoa can “absolutely bounce back,” but the quarterback has not been informed of a decision one way or the other.
Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa Would Welcome Fresh Start
Tua Tagovailoa avoided major injuries in 2025, but the season will still be remembered as a disappointment in his case. A change of scenery could be coming relatively soon, depending on how the Dolphins choose to proceed. 
When speaking to the media on Monday, Tagovailoa was asked about the possibility of a fresh start. He responded, “that would be dope. I would be good with it” (h/t Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald). Reporters then clarified they were referring to the idea of Tagovailoa playing elsewhere. He declined to comment further.
In theory, a ‘fresh start’ could take place in the form of sweeping coaching changes on the part of the Dolphins. Of the three head coach firings which have taken place so far today, though, none have included Miami. The latest updates on Mike McDaniel‘s status point to him being safe for 2026.
Not long ago, the possibility of Miami retaining McDaniel was tied to the success he had with Tagovailoa in previous seasons. Consistent play under center proved elusive in 2025, however, and after Week 15 the Dolphins proceeded with a new QB depth chart. Tagovailoa was replaced by rookie Quinn Ewers as the starter and demoted to third-string status. Since then, questions have been raised about a potential trade.
During the 2024 offseason, Tagovailoa joined the list of quarterbacks earning $50MM or per year on their contracts. The 27-year-old is on the books through 2028, and he is owed $54MM guaranteed for next year. Absorbing that figure – not to mention a 2026 cap hit of $56.4MM – would be challenging for any acquiring team. A strong market is unlikely based on that factor but also Tagovailoa’s poor play this year. The former fifth overall pick threw multiple interceptions four times in 14 games prior to being benched.
Ewers projects as a presence in the Dolphins’ quarterback setup for the foreseeable future, although his brief showing late in the season is obviously not a large enough sample size to determine his viability as a starting option. Selecting a new signal-caller early in the draft could be something to watch for; that would likely require trading up in the first-round order. Miami is currently set to select 11th in April’s draft.
Tagovailoa’s entire six-year career has taken place with the Dolphins. He could wind up remaining in place in the absence of preferred replacement options emerging once a full-time general manager is in place. Regardless, a move allowing for a clean slate on a new team is clearly something Tagovailoa would be open to.
Dolphins To Explore Trading Up For QB In 2026 Draft?
The Dolphins may have no choice but to retain quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in 2026, given the financial ramifications of a release and the presumed absence of a meaningful trade market. Even if that proves to be the case, Tagovailoa’s performance this season has led to his demotion and has forced the ‘Fins to at least contemplate moving on from their 2020 first-rounder.
During his weekly appearance on WSVN Fox 7, prominent NFL agent Drew Rosenhaus (who does not represent Tagovailoa) said he expects the Dolphins to explore a trade-up in the 2026 draft in an effort to land the southpaw’s successor (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald). In that scenario, newly-minted Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza would unsurprisingly be a “likely target,” per Rosenhaus. If Oregon’s Dante Moore elects to turn pro – which would run counter to the most recent reporting on the matter – he would presumably be in consideration as well.
At present, the Giants hold the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft. They made signal-caller Jaxson Dart a first-round selection this year, and Dart has performed well enough in his rookie season to justify that choice and to solidify his standing within the organization. As Jackson notes, there has been some speculation from ESPN insider and former NFL GM Mike Tannenbaum that Big Blue could draft Mendoza and look to trade Dart if they ultimately secure the No. 1 pick, but if the Giants or the Cam Ward-fronted Titans end up with the top choice, one would imagine either club would seriously consider dealing it to a QB-needy team.
However, the 2-13 Raiders and 2-13 Giants play each other Sunday, and the loser of that game will have the inside track on the top pick. Unlike the Giants, the Raiders do not have a player that resembles a franchise passer on the roster, so they may keep that pick for themselves and use it on a player like Mendoza or Moore. Another obvious barrier to a Dolphins trade-up is the fact that teams like the Jets, Browns, and Cardinals are also likely to consider drafting a QB and are slated to pick ahead of Miami, thus giving them a more valuable first-rounder to offer in a swap.
That said, the Dolphins still could finish with a pick as high as No. 7, and they have a high second-round pick and three third-rounders in 2026. They also control the rights to all of their future first-rounders, and their first-round selection in 2027 – which is projected to boast a deeper QB class – could be a high one, as Jackson posits.
In short, they may have the ammo to do what they tried to do in 2020, when they offered a package of four first-round picks to the Bengals to move up just four spots from the No. 5 pick to No. 1 for the right to select Joe Burrow (although three of those first-rounders were in the 2020 draft). Cincinnati rejected the proposal, and Miami settled for Tagovailoa.
Neither Mendoza nor Moore is the type of prospect that Burrow was, and depending on the results of the last several games of the current season, Miami’s first pick in 2026 may not come until No. 17. If that happens, this type of trade-up speculation would probably be moot. Still, Rosenhaus’ remarks serve as yet another indicator that the ‘Fins no longer believe Tagovailoa is their long-term quarterback.
Latest On QB Tua Tagovailoa’s Future, Trade Possibilities
At this point, former No. 5 overall pick and primary starter for the last six years Tua Tagovailoa has been demoted, and his future in Miami is very much in doubt. The Dolphins have instead opted to see what rookie seventh-round pick Quinn Ewers can offer at position over the closing weeks of the season. 
We’re only in the first year of the four-year, $212.4MM contract extension Tagovailoa signed before the start of the 2024 season. The Hawai’i-native was just two years removed from leading the NFL in yards per attempt and passer rating en route to a ninth-place finish in MVP voting and had just earned his first Pro Bowl selection after leading the league in passing yards. Things changed, however, as concussions suddenly became a major concern.
Tagovailoa became familiar with injuries early. Four weeks after getting his first opportunity to replace Ryan Fitzpatrick as the starter in Week 8 of his rookie season, Tagovailoa was sidelined for a game due to a finger injury. Over the next two years, some concerns about his durability arose as he missed eight games in that span due to some fractured ribs in 2021 and concussion issues in 2022. Looking back on the 2022 injuries, Tagovailoa would later tell the media that he considered retiring because of the concussions.
Instead, he came back and started all 17 games in 2023, showing that he could put together a full campaign good enough to land a multi-year, $50+MM-per-year deal. He got two games into his new contract before a third concussion placed him on injured reserve. After a four-game absence, Tagovailoa was able to return, and he, once again, found a way to impress by leading the league with a career-high 72.9 completion percentage.
This year has seen a regression, though. The loss of his star receiver, Tyreek Hill, certainly contributed to the struggles, but this year, Tagovailoa has shown limited mobility and declining decision-making. Tagovailoa has taken a career-high 30 sacks and thrown a career-high and league-leading 15 interceptions so far this year.
The decision to sit Tagovailoa has given the Dolphins a chance to see what they have in the young rookie out of Texas, but the struggles that led here have tied their hands a bit with their potential options to move on from Tagovailoa. As one AFC executive put it, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, “they are almost stuck with him.”
Trading the 27-year-old is clearly the team’s preferred option, but the market doesn’t seem eager to bid for Tagovailoa. At the moment, teams like the Jets, Browns, Vikings, Colts, Raiders, Cardinals, and Steelers could all be on the lookout for a new passer in 2026, per Fowler. However, Indianapolis and Las Vegas have some serviceable veterans that can bridge a gap as the draft and develop a young passer, and the Browns and Vikings have young passers under contract they may want to see more of before locking into a new option.
Furthermore, the Cardinals are looking at moving out of a similar situation of their own, and the Jets have five first-round picks over the next two drafts that could be a preferable option for finding a new franchise passer. Fowler points out, though, that the quarterback market is volatile and could easily turn favorable for Tagovailoa (and perhaps the Dolphins) within a year.
General interest aside, cost is a major factor, as well. Tagovailoa’s still new deal has $54MM of guaranteed money for the 2026 season with more conditional guarantees set in the future. In order to facilitate a trade, Miami may need to offer to cover a significant portion of the money owed to Tagovailoa in the future. Difficult as it may seem, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated thinks it could be a sensible conclusion to this saga.
If there are no biters, cutting Tagovailoa could be painful. Designating him as a post-June 1 release would allow them to spread cap money over two years, but they’d be shouldered with $67.4MM in dead money in 2026, a significant increase over his current cap hit for that year. They’d be hit for an additional $31.8MM of dead cap on the books in 2027. Without a post-June 1 designation, cutting him would saddle them with $99.2MM in dead cap this year, in addition to a $42.8MM cap hit.
At that point, it may be best for the Dolphins to just retain Tagovailoa. If that’s the case, some believe Miami needs to bring in serious competition for him, as much to bring the best out of him as search for his replacement. Over the next two games, the Dolphins will see if Ewers fits that bill. They felt the rookie needed time to “get his body right after several injuries in college,” per Fowler, but with an entire offseason and 16 weeks of NFL play out of the way, Ewers should be able to put on a strong display.
Dolphins Expected To Retain Mike McDaniel; Champ Kelly To Receive GM Interview
DECEMBER 21: While the Dolphins are planning to keep McDaniel, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Tagovailoa is on his way out of Miami. A trade, even if it involves eating some of Tagovailoa’s 2026 salary, would be the team’s “preferred option,” per Rapoport, but an outright release is still on the table despite the financial consequences. Keeping the 27-year-old quarterback as the league’s most expensive backup – as the Falcons did with Kirk Cousins – does not appear to be an option at the moment.
DECEMBER 19: The Dolphins demoted Tua Tagovailoa to the third-string spot on their depth chart this week, potentially signaling an end to the inconsistent passer’s six-year Miami tenure. As for the coach that pulled the trigger on this move, no change is expected.
Although the Dolphins lost to the Steelers and are now eliminated from the playoffs, Mike McDaniel being allowed to make the Tagovailoa-for-Quinn Ewers switch may be telling. The belief in Miami is that McDaniel will stay for a fifth season, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones notes.
Prospective HC and GM candidates informed Jones their expectation is McDaniel will be retained and have a chance to spark a turnaround. One source told Jones a belief in the building is McDaniel was given a “tough hand” this year, and unlike the since-ousted Chris Grier, the sideline leader will be given a chance to bounce back in 2026. This is not the first time we have heard McDaniel was likely to be kept, but this coming after the Tua news certainly carries more weight.
It may be tough to see McDaniel’s job being easier next year, assuming he stays. If the team follows through with a Tagovailoa release, it would bring a staggering $99.2MM dead money hit. That dead cap number would be split between 2026 and ’27, continuing a line of pricey Dolphins post-June 1 moves, but will significantly hinder Miami’s roster-building capabilities regardless of where the 2026 salary cap settles.
Only the Broncos have incurred a dead money hit north of $60MM, via their $84.6MM Russell Wilson release. The Dolphins have cut Byron Jones and Xavien Howard using the post-June 1 transaction (2023, 2024), and they needed to wait until after June 1 this year to trade Jalen Ramsey. Even in doing that, Ramsey set a defender record by accounting for $35.86MM in dead cap (spread between 2025 and ’26).
With Ramsey dead money at nearly $21MM next year, having Tagovailoa’s seismic sum hit the cap will make for a difficult task as McDaniel and a to-be-determined GM attempt to recover. Tagovailoa played the lead on-field role in the Dolphins securing back-to-back playoff berths for the first time since its 1997-2001 run of postseason appearances, but McDaniel appears set to outlast the QB in South Beach.
As we look set to see plenty of defense-based coaches generate HC interest on the upcoming carousel, keeping McDaniel makes sense due to his offensive acumen. McDaniel played the lead role in turning Tagovailoa around, with Tyreek Hill being a rather notable part of that effort, and did memorably test the Bills — in a three-point wild-card loss — with third-stringer Skylar Thompson at the helm. It appears McDaniel will be given a chance to see if he can develop another quarterback. It remains a mystery, barring a surprising Ewers stretch-run effort that convinces the Dolphins to stand down at the position, who that player will be if Tua is indeed jettisoned.
No team will be willing to pay the full Tagovailoa freight in a trade, per Jones. If Miami is to move on, it will need to eat a sizable portion of the QB’s $54MM 2026 guarantee in a trade. If Tagovailoa is on the Dolphins’ roster by March 13, a $3MM 2027 guarantee vests as well. Any action on the contract should naturally be expected before that date.
The prospect of McDaniel being paired with a new GM injects risk regarding timelines. Teams have begun to steer their operations toward HC-GM alignment in recent years, though the Bears are having success despite Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson arriving at different points. The Jaguars and Raiders fired their GMs (Trent Baalke, Tom Telesco) for alignment purposes. It will be interesting to see how the Dolphins’ GM search unfolds with the to-be-determined exec being tied to McDaniel.
It will be considered likely the Dolphins hire an outside GM, but Jones adds interim boss Champ Kelly will receive an interview. Kelly was close to earning the Raiders’ GM job in 2024, only to be kept in the assistant GM role once Telesco was hired, and is respected around the league. Kelly interviewed for the Jags’ job this past offseason and met about the Panthers’ vacancy in 2024. He has been the Dolphins’ interim leader since Grier’s Halloween exit. Kelly oversaw the trade of Jaelan Phillips for a third-round pick; the veteran exec also kept Jaylen Waddle at the deadline, hiking up the Bills’ price due to their AFC East status.
The Dolphins are also considering splitting up their GM role in a sense. They have given SVP of football and business administration Brandon Shore more responsibility post-Grier, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes. Both Breer and Jones point to a potential setup in which McDaniel, Shore and a GM report to Stephen Ross, with Breer going as far as to say there is a “good chance” this setup will be in place in Miami come 2026.
Serving as the Dolphins’ cap chief, Shore has been with the franchise for 16 years. He has been in his current role since 2021. Being a key part of the Tagovailoa extension (four years, $212.4MM) the team now appears interested in escaping, Shore making a move up the ladder after that development certainly shows his sturdy organizational standing. Shore’s presence could well be a factor in the Dolphins’ GM pursuit as well, should the Dolphins truly be interested in an arrangement in which two or three staffers report directly to ownership.
Dolphins Coveted Joe Burrow In 2020, Offered Bengals Four First-Rounders For No. 1 Pick
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 to go with an extra first 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.
We heard a while back the Dolphins made an aggressive push to acquire the 2020 top pick from the Bengals. Brian Flores‘ tanking allegation surrounded the 2019 Miami season. While the NFL did not punish Stephen Ross in connection with Flores’ accusation, the Dolphins fielded a bad roster as they retooled that year. Flores guiding the team to a 5-11 record scuttled any hopes of obtaining the No. 1 pick. Burrow had also surged past Tagovailoa on draft boards thanks to his record-setting season, but the Bengals’ 2-14 record in Zac Taylor‘s debut season gave them access to the Ohio native-turned-LSU superstar.
This is, however, the first we have heard that a four-first-rounder offer was on the table. This would have meant Cincinnati sliding from No. 1 to No. 5 and also obtaining the Nos. 18 and 26 choices — to go with a 2021 first. The Dolphins had two firsts in 2021 thanks to their August 2019 Laremy Tunsil blockbuster.
Miami acquired the 2020 No. 18 pick via the September 2019 Minkah Fitzpatrick trade and No. 26 in the Tunsil swap. The Dolphins ended up trading down four spots from No. 26, giving the Packers Jordan Love access. In the end, Miami ended up with Tagovailoa — who was coming off a season-ending hip injury — to go with Austin Jackson and Noah Igbinoghene.
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 led 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.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
Latest On Dolphins’ QB Change
Having demoted quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to a third-string role earlier this week, the Dolphins may be in the early stages of moving on from their longtime starter. Head coach Mike McDaniel said owner Stephen Ross had no say in the team’s quarterback change, but the financial ramifications are hard to ignore.
If Tagovailoa plays again this season, suffers an injury, and can’t pass a physical when the Dolphins attempt to release him (assuming they do), they’ll owe him an additional $17MM, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald notes. The Dolphins are already on the hook for $54MM in guarantees in 2026 as part of the four-year, $212.4MM extension they gave Tagovailoa in July 2024. Adding another $17MM to that total would be an unwelcome development for Miami, which is nearing the end of its second straight season without a playoff berth.
The Dolphins don’t have any future financial concerns with their other veteran QB, pending free agent Zach Wilson. They could have plugged the former second overall pick and ex-Jets starter in to replace Tagovailoa, but they’ll instead turn to seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers. The Texas product will start against the Bengals on Sunday.
McDaniel told reporters Wilson was “very disappointed” in the decision, but the coach added: “Ultimately, it’s flat out as easy is Quinn’s disposition, his relationship with his teammates and the motivation. Our team with him as the starting quarterback gives us the best opportunity to beat the Bengals.”
Although McDaniel isn’t assured of returning as the Dolphins’ head coach in 2026, it appears likely that he will. If he no longer regards Tagovailoa as a potential answer for next year, it makes sense to evaluate Ewers before season’s end. In his only action to date, the 22-year-old went 5 for 8 for 53 yards in a loss to the Browns in Week 7. The Dolphins will have a better idea of how to proceed in the offseason after getting a longer look at Ewers.
While Ewers will audition for the starting job, McDaniel isn’t publicly closing the door on Tagovailoa.
“I still believe that his growth can continue,” said McDaniel, who credited Tagovailoa with his handling of the news, stating he “exhibited what made him a captain and leader on this team.”
Jaylen Waddle, Miami’s top receiver, revealed that Tagovailoa has been actively helping Ewers prepare for the Cincinnati game, according to Jackson. Tagovailoa may finish out the year assisting Ewers behind the scenes, but an answer on his fate in Miami should arrive soon after that. If the Dolphins don’t cut the cord on Tagovailoa by March 13, they’ll owe him another $3MM.
Dolphins Bench Tua Tagovailoa; Quinn Ewers To Start In Week 16
On the heels of an ugly loss to the Steelers, the Dolphins are benching quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports. Rookie Quinn Ewers will start Week 16 against the Bengals.
Once 2-7, the Dolphins reeled off four straight wins to stay in the playoff picture. Their 28-15 defeat in Pittsburgh on Monday officially eliminated them from postseason contention. Tagovailoa went 22 of 28 for 253 yards and a touchdown, but he also took four sacks and threw his NFL-worst 15th interception. Head coach Mike McDaniel said afterward that the Dolphins’ QB play was “not good enough.”
[RELATED: Team Demotes Tagovailoa To Third-String Level]
With McDaniel indicating on Tuesday that a QB change was under consideration, it’s not surprising the Dolphins will sit Tagovailoa on Sunday. However, the Dolphins certainly didn’t expect it to come to this 17 months after signing Tagovailoa to a four-year, $212.4MM extension in July 2024. Miami agreed to hand Tagovailoa $167.1MM in guaranteed money. He’s due $54MM in guarantees in 2026, which will make it difficult for the Dolphins to move on from the soon-to-be 28-year-old in the offseason.
Tagovailoa has dealt with numerous concussion issues throughout his career, but that didn’t stop the former fifth overall pick from logging quality production under McDaniel in previous seasons. The ex-Alabama standout registered a passer rating upward of 101.0 in each season from 2022-24. He led the NFL in yards per attempt in 2022 (8.9), finished first in passing yards in 2023 (4,624), and paced the league in completion percentage last year (72.9).
Tagovailoa has stayed healthy this year, but along with already posting a career-worst INT total, his other numbers have underwhelmed. While Tagovailoa has reached the 20-TD mark for the third time and completed 67.7% of passes, he has averaged just 6.9 yards per attempt en route to an 88.5 rating. His 36.7 QBR ranks 30th among 33 qualifying signal-callers. Only J.J. McCarthy, Geno Smith, and Cam Ward have been worse in that regard.
Having already parted with general manager Chris Grier in October, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and the next GM will have to decide how to proceed with Tagovailoa and McDaniel in the offseason. As mentioned, Tagovailoa’s contract is onerous. Designating Tagovailoa a post-June 1 release would leave the Dolphins with $99MM in dead cap spread over 2026 and ’27, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports notes.
That would be the largest dead cap hit in league history, easily surpassing the $85MM the Broncos ate when they released Russell Wilson in March 2024. A trade would also be difficult to pull off, explains Jones, who points to Tagovailoa’s contract, his struggles in cold weather, and his less-than-stellar reputation around the league as roadblocks.
Even if he doesn’t reclaim the starting job, the Dolphins may have to ride it out for another year with Tagovailoa. Along with Tagovailoa, McDaniel has helped the Dolphins to the playoffs twice since 2022. He seems likely to return for a fifth season in 2026, but that’s not a sure thing yet.
For now, McDaniel will pin his hopes on Ewers, a seventh-rounder who enjoyed a strong starting career at Texas from 2022-24. The Dolphins have toggled between Ewers and veteran Zach Wilson in the No. 2 role this season. Wilson’s a former second overall pick who amassed 33 starts with the Jets from 2021-23, but he was a major letdown during that stretch. While the Dolphins gave Wilson a $6MM contract last March after he worked as a backup in Denver in 2024, this may go down as a second straight start-less campaign for the 26-year-old.
Dolphins Demote Tua Tagovailoa To Third-String QB
Mike McDaniel confirmed the Tua Tagovailoa benching news. While Quinn Ewers will start, the fourth-year HC said (via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero) Miami’s longtime starter will drop to the third-string level.
This means Zach Wilson will work as Ewers’ backup. Tagovailoa’s demotion is quite similar to how the Jets initially proceeded when they benched Wilson in 2022. The former No. 2 overall pick dropped from first to third string when benched in November of that year. While he did move back up, the Jets attempted to keep Wilson out of the lineup by trading for Aaron Rodgers in April 2023.
McDaniel said (via the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson) ownership did not influence this move; prior to the fourth-year HC’s presser, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler noted the same. McDaniel said this decision is entirely based on which quarterback gives the team its best chance to win. “This team needs convicted quarterback play — I thought Quinn gave us the best chance to do that,” McDaniel said, via ESPN.com’s Marcel Louis-Jacques.
Still, moving a $53.1MM-per-year passer two spots down the depth chart is a big-picture decision — even if McDaniel did not say this call pertains to 2026 just yet. The Dolphins are taking a one-week approach at QB, per Fowler, though it is expected Ewers — a would-be mid-round pick who fell to the seventh — will be expected to start more than one game. When asked why Ewers received the call, Wilson — Tagovailoa’s backup for most of this season — expressed some frustration and confusion (via Jackson)
While Tua has handled the demotion “like a pro,” per Fowler, buzz about the Dolphins moving on in 2026 is already naturally emerging. The player McDaniel (and Tyreek Hill) elevated beginning in 2022 is owed $54MM guaranteed next year. This is split between a $39MM base salary and a $15MM option bonus. An additional $3MM (part of Tagovailoa’s 2027 compensation) would become guaranteed March 13, per ESPN’s Dan Graziano.
If the Dolphins were to move on via release before that date, it would bring a record-smashing — which is saying something given the Russell Wilson release price — $99.2MM in dead money. Miami would certainly choose to divide that between 2026 and ’27, but moving on from Tagovailoa in 2026 would create a considerable roster-building challenge regardless of where the salary cap settles.
Russell Wilson tagged the Broncos with nearly $85MM in dead cap in 2024. While Denver has managed to withstand that en route to the AFC’s No. 1 position as of this week, the team carried $53MM on its 2024 payroll and $32MM this year. That has meant the Broncos have not enjoyed the benefits from the Bo Nix rookie contract, though the team will in 2026 once the Wilson albatross comes off the payroll.
Were the Dolphins to find a trade taker willing to fork over Tua’s $54MM guaranteed in a pre-March 13 trade, they could drop the dead money to $45MM. We heard last month, however, league interest in Tagovailoa is minimal. Interest in the QB would make sense based on his highpoints in 2022 and ’23, though his injury issues undercut that. A trade would presumably require Miami to pick up a portion — perhaps a substantial piece — of the QB’s 2026 guarantees.
The Giants also made this move with Daniel Jones, moving Tommy DeVito from the No. 3 spot on the depth chart to No. 1 last year. New York soon released Jones. Tagovailoa’s dead money number — on an extension that runs through 2028 — will prevent any 2025 action on this contract.
Before the Jones demotion, Wilson received similar news. After being dropped from No. 1 to No. 3 on the Jets’ 2022 depth chart, he did climb back to the second-string position before making a start late that season. Robert Saleh benched Wilson in-game and had him slotted behind Rodgers following the 2023 trade. Though, Wilson reemerged to make 11 starts in 2023 after Rodgers’ Achilles tear.
Saleh benched Wilson again in ’23, and the Jets traded him to the Broncos — in a deal that involved the Jets picking up salary — in April 2024. Wilson was Denver’s third-stringer throughout last season but still fetched a $6MM guarantee from Miami — more than Mac Jones or Trey Lance received on the market — in free agency. However, McDaniel had demoted Wilson once before this season, dropping him from second to third. The embattled HC reversed course soon after, however, and Wilson backed up Tua. He will now back up Ewers, continuing a wildly disappointing career.