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Dolphins general manager reveals what he told Tua Tagovailoa
The Miami Dolphins are under new management after firing general manager Chris Grier during the 2025 season. They hired former Packers vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan as his replacement.
After consecutive seasons in which the team missed the playoffs, Sullivan inherits a team ESPN said needs to rebuild. With the fourth-least cap space in the NFL,the new Dolphins general manager must make difficult decisions about veterans such as Tyreek Hill, Bradley Chubb and Tua Tagovailoa.
Tagovailoa represents the Dolphins’ most difficult decision this offseason. His performance last season was not up to par, and it resulted in him getting benched following a Week 15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, it is difficult for Miami to move off the quarterback as he carries a $56 million cap hit in 2026, and with most of it guaranteed, releasing him would result in significant dead money.
Reports around the situation suggest the Dolphins will try to trade him, and if they are unable to, they will release him. However, Sullivan has not confirmed that publicly and recently revealed details of a conversation with Tagovailoa.
Dolphins General Manager Reveals Conversation With Tagovailoa
At a Miami Dolphins fan event with the general manager and head coach, Jon-Eric Sullivan was asked about the future of the quarterback position for the Dolphins and the status of Tua Tagovailoa. He revealed that he had spoken with Tua Tagovailoa, saying, “Tua was in my office the other day, if I’m being perfectly frank. We had a great conversation. Tua has been a very good player in this league, he’s done a lot of really good things for the Miami Dolphins. You guys (Dolphins fans) should be proud to have him and have had him. I don’t know what the future holds right now, and I told Tua that.”
Sullivan added that the plan was for the Dolphins to bring in competition in the quarterback room. He said, “What I can tell you is we’re going to infuse competition into that room, whether Tua is part of that room, whether he’s not part of the room. We’re going to infuse competition into that room like we will do at every position.”
Miami Dolphins Quarterback in 2026
The possibility of Tagovailoa remaining the Dolphins’ quarterback appears to remain open, although slim. However, Sullivan also revealed that he will use the draft to evaluate quarterbacks. He said, “Of course, we’ll look at other quarterbacks in this draft, and every draft thereafter.”
He did not comment on any possible free agents Miami might bring in to compete, since the league’s tampering period has not yet begun and that could cost Miami a draft pick. An unnamed general manager spoke to NFL insider Jason La Canfora and revealed that he had heard the Dolphins will have interest in free agent quarterback Malik Willis. Willis spent the past two seasons with Green Bay. He is familiar with the Dolphins scheme, and Miami’s new head coach worked with him in Green Bay as well.
Jose Esquer Jose Esquer is a Mexican-American sportswriter and communications student based in San Diego, CA. His work spans football, basketball, baseball, and soccer. He has written for platforms like RotoWire and DolphinsTalk. You can find him on Twitter/X @JEsquer8, usually talking Dolphins, world football, or both. More about Jose Esquer
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