The Miami Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa era hasn’t gone as well as hoped.
His injuries have played a big role of course, but it also isn’t over yet.
It could be soon, though, writes The Athletic’s Jim Ayello.
“There’s a world where this is Tagovailoa’s final season in Miami,” Ayello writes. “To be clear, the odds of the Dolphins moving on after this season are remote (it’s far more likely after 2026), but it’s maybe not as crazy as you think. Imagine if the up-against-the-cap Dolphins struggle to a five- or six-win 2025 season. Ownership decides it’s time for a hard reset, and the new GM and coach don’t see Tagovailoa, with his concussion history and limitations as a pocket passer, as a franchise QB. They decide to draft a QB and look to trade Tagovailoa to a QB-needy team. His value would depend on his health and how he plays this year, but for the record: Simply cutting him after this season would come with a $79 million dead cap hit. That’s a lot, but it wouldn’t even be the NFL record.”
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Sure, the Dolphins could release Tua and pay that huge dead cap hit, but that’s not likely.
If Tagovailoa at least made it through the 2025 season healthy, he wouldn’t be a bad trade candidate.
One trade idea earlier in the offseason sent Tagovailoa to the Saints to solve their QB problem. Maybe that would work.
Of course, it’s always tough to give up on a potential franchise quarterback. There aren’t a ton of them. Miami could be signing up for struggle.
But to keep Tagovailoa around, he’ll have to prove this season that he’s worth sticking with.
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