It’s probably time to start calibrating our expectations accordingly for a resolution to the Miami Dolphins‘ looming Tua Tagovailoa saga.
We’re about one month away from the start of the league calendar year, it will be here before we know it. And while we’re getting very little from the coaches and executives who have taken the controls of the Dolphins this offseason. Everything is pretty close to the vest. The process, they say, is just getting started. It’s too soon to say what’s going to happen with anyone. But the bread crumbs seem to lead one direction — so let’s at least acknowledge the path we seem to be headed down this spring (and seemingly summer).
Don’t expect a fast resolution to the Tua Tagovailoa saga amid reports Miami hopes to find a trade
Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
(Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images)
We’ve heard from several places in recent days that the Dolphins’ top preference with Tua Tagovailoa is to find a trade partner this offseason. That includes from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, and also the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson.
The Dolphins finding a trade partner for Tua Tagovailoa is almost certainly going to require them to eat a significant portion, if not the vast majority, of Tagovailoa’s 2026 salary in order to get teams to the negotiating table. Given the dynamics of Tagovailoa’s contract that already exist, eating salary and trading him before June 1st is going to be exceptionally difficult. In that scenario, Miami would be on the hook for over $40M in deferred cap debt from 2024 and 2025 — plus whatever dollar amount they ate off of the 2026 salary.
If Miami could find a taker for the full $54 million balance, Miami would be on the hook for $45.2 million in dead cap in 2026. But if Miami has to eat (hypothetically) $30 million of the 2026 compensation to facilitate a trade, that dead cap figure is suddenly $75.2 million — $19 million more than he’s currently on their books for. The math here isn’t mathing in a favorable way for the Dolphins, especially with a hoard of other “unfavorable” contracts lingering that must be addressed and/or terminated.
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If the Dolphins are adamant about exploring trade options, expect Tagovailoa to be here in March. And April. And May. Because once the ability to split the dead cap commitments across two seasons becomes a possibility on June 2, 2026, the Dolphins will be much more free to entertain eating salary to trade their maligned quarterback.
There is no such thing as a “Post-June 1 designation” for a trade — meaning your trade terms can only be agreed to and processed after June 1st on any given year.
All the reporting indicates that Miami would like to find a trade. If that is indeed the case, the dollars and cents (and cap) of their current situation dictates that Tagovailoa is likely to hang around a little longer while Miami waits out the June 1st deadline before exploring your options. Just set your expectations appropriately — a March resolution to this saga doesn’t feel like much more than a pipe dream right now.
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This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Feb 6, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.