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The Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer named Kevin O’Connell and the Minnesota Vikings one of the five best trade fits for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was not part of the cuts the Miami Dolphins made to their roster to begin this week. Because of his massive cap hit, the Dolphins are unlikely to release Tagovailoa this offseason.
But a trade is on the table. On Monday, The Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer argued why the Minnesota Vikings are one of the five best trade fits for the veteran quarterback.
“Tagovailoa’s former offensive coordinator, Frank Smith, is a new assistant coach for Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota,” Iyer wrote. “The Vikings are looking for reasonable contingencies for J.J. McCarthy in Year 3 and Tagovailoa’s former first Dolphins coach Brian Flores also remains their defensive coordinator. They would likely take on Tua for the right price.”
If the price is right, Tagovailoa could provide the Vikings quarterback competition for former first-rounder J.J. McCarthy.
The Dolphins, though, have certainly paid a hefty price for Tagovailoa over the years. The quarterback has earned $124.38 million in his six-year NFL career.
In July 2024, the Dolphins signed Tagovailoa to a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension.
Why Tua Tagovailoa Could Fit With the Minnesota Vikings
In summary, the Vikings are a great potential landing spot for Tagovailoa because of O’Connell’s offense. The Minnesota head coach usually gets the most out of his signal-callers.
The Dolphins signal-caller would also have more familiarity in Minnesota with Frank Smith and Brian Flores than anywhere else.
Tagovailoa appeared to be on his way to elite quarterback status a few years ago. That’s why he received the big contract extension.
In 2023, he led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards.
But in 2024, he struggled with injuries. Then last year, he didn’t bounce back despite being healthy, experiencing his worst season as a professional.
Tagovailoa led the Dolphins to a 6-8 record during 2025 before getting benched in December. He completed 67.7 of his passes, which was his lowest mark since 2022. Tagovailoa also submitted his worst yards per attempt average (6.8) since 2021.
Tagovailoa Could Compete With J.J. McCarthy
Again, it obviously depends on the price. But from a potential perspective, Tagovailoa is one of the better signal-callers the Vikings could bring in to compete with McCarthy.
During his first year as a starter, injuries were an issue for McCarthy. Despite that, he actually did post a winning record.
But he was unimpressive statistically.
McCarthy completed just 57.6% of his passes with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He also averaged just 6.7 yards per attempt and 163.2 passing yards per game.
The Vikings shouldn’t giving up on McCarthy. But the team is expected to search for a veteran this offseason to add to the quarterback room.
In the best case scenario with the Vikings, Tagovailoa rediscovers his game, as Sam Darnold did two years ago while in Minnesota.
Of Iyer’s five best trade fits for Tagovailoa, he named the Vikings at the top of his list. The other four “best trade fits” for the Dolphins quarterback, according to Iyer, were the Indianapolis Colts, Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams.
In Carolina and Los Angeles, though, Tagovailoa definitely wouldn’t have an opportunity to start. To start in either Indianapolis or Arizona, those teams would have to make (or in Indianapolis’ case, not make) other quarterback moves.
Tagovailoa is 44-32 as an NFL starter in six seasons. He’s completed 68% of his throws for an average of 7.5 yards per pass with 120 touchdowns and 59 interceptions.
Dave Holcomb is a sports reporter covering the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions. Originally from Pittsburgh, Holcomb has covered college and professional sports for outlets including FanSided, Rotowire and Yardbarker. More about Dave Holcomb
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