Tua Tagovailoa has opened the door to a bombshell trade away from the Miami Dolphins after being dropped for the final three games of the NFL season.
Tagovailoa is Miami’s franchise quarterback, signing a four-year, $212 million contract in July 2024, but he endured a difficult 2025 campaign as the team went 7-10 and missed the playoffs again.
Head coach Mike McDaniel benched his QB1 in favor of rookie Quinn Ewers for the final three games of the campaign, and Tagovailoa has now raised the possibility that he might not play another game for Miami.
When asked whether he would like a fresh start, he told reporters on Monday: ‘That would be dope. I would be good with it.’
McDaniel has been given the backing of the front office and is expected to help in the hunt for the franchise’s next general manager.
He has also teased the likelihood of a quarterback battle for 2026 after Ewers’ impressive first three games under center.
Tua Tagovailoa was benched for the final three games of the Miami Dolphins’ season
Quinn Ewers could battle with Tagovailoa for the QB1 spot in Miami under Mike McDaniel (R)
McDaniel wasn’t keen to speculate on the reasons for Tagovailoa’s worrying decline this season, off the back of a series of head injuries in recent years. Â
Confirming that he is set to meet with the signal caller on Tuesday, McDaniel said: ‘I think there’s a lot on the plate of a franchise quarterback, and ultimately I think it’s my job to try to improve his play all of the time.
‘I don’t want to throw out a headline that is shortsighted or shortchanges how many layers there are to performing at the quarterback position. What I do know is, for the first time, I assessed whether or not he should be the starting quarterback on the team. That was as a result of an inability to get some things done.Â
‘Does that mean that’s a forever thing for him in terms of being able to execute stuff that he’s executed in the past? No, it doesn’t. To have his game and the ownership of his game when it’s at its height, that’s something that we’ll discuss.Â
‘He’ll have a lot of thoughts, and he’ll have to work to get himself back to where we’re all used to seeing. And I’ll do my best in supporting that and the rest we shall see.’
Tagovailoa struggled in 2024 with a series of worrying injuries but was back healthy in 2025Â
In 2024, Tagovailoa missed six games to hip and head injuries, but in 2025 he was back to full health and only missed the final three games when he was dropped.
This season, though, he threw a career-high 15 interceptions and recorded fewer than 200 passing yards on eight occasions.Â
If Miami were to decide to ditch its long-time quarterback, it would come at a significant cost.
If he is cut before June 1, it would result in a $99.2m dead cap hit next season.
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Miami Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa pleads for trade after nightmare 2025 season finally ends