Tua Tagovailoa has spent his entire career with the Miami Dolphins, mostly serving as their starting quarterback. He was benched to close out the 2025 NFL season after officially being eliminated from playoff contention and now faces uncertainty about his future.
One analyst believes an All-Pro could replace that role as the franchise looks to shake up its roster.
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Tua Tagovailoa Replacement Candidate Amid Dolphins Rebuild
Tagovailoa has been with the Dolphins for six years, but has made it to the playoffs in just one of them. This has sparked rumors that Miami may be looking to go in a different direction, especially after recently benching him in favor of rookie Quinn Ewers. They decided against their official elimination from the playoff race, which resulted from their loss on Monday Night Football against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Many around the NFL believe that the Dolphins will now look to rebuild their roster with major changes during the upcoming 2026 NFL offseason.
PFSN’s Jacob Infante recently outlined that Lamar Jackson could be a legitimate candidate to be their next quarterback. He has also been rumored to have uncertainty about his future with the Baltimore Ravens, setting up a potential blockbuster move for next year.
Infante explained that Jackson grew up about an hour outside of Miami, so if he’s traded during the offseason, the Dolphins could potentially be a preferred destination. He also mentioned the hurdle of addressing his contract situation, which includes $260 million in total money and three years remaining on his current deal.
Trading Tagovailoa would go a long way in clearing salary cap space for a potential deal for Jackson, and considering the Ravens would then need a quarterback of their own, a swap of starters is a possibility.
The Dolphins would need to include more in the deal to acquire the two-time NFL MVP, but this could serve as a starting point to ignite changes in both franchises, which are rumored to be seeking new approaches during the offseason.
Tagovailoa ranks just 26th in PFSN’s Impact Rankings among all quarterbacks, while Jackson ranks 17th, despite being plagued by injuries this year. The Ravens’ superstar has been one of the best players in the NFL during his impressive career, while the Dolphins’ former first-round pick has essentially failed to meet his expectations.
Neither of them is currently in the playoff bracket, and both are rumored to be on the move for next season.