The Miami Dolphins’ $212.4 million gamble on Tua Tagovailoa hasn’t delivered the return anyone had hoped for, and the franchise that once pushed all its chips toward an explosive offense now appears increasingly open to moving on from its highly paid quarterback.
That conversation intensified on Friday when CBS Sports’ John Breech outlined four potential landing spots for Tagovailoa, and led with the Minnesota Vikings as the most logical suitor.
Minnesota enters the offseason with legitimate uncertainty under center after its own gamble on youth in former first-round pick J.J. McCarthy failed to deliver.
At the same time, Miami is staring at a salary-cap recalibration and broader roster reset, making the idea of offloading a massive quarterback contract far more realistic if the right trade partner surfaces.
Breech’s case is straightforward: Tagovailoa is a more polished and proven passer than McCarthy at this stage, and he would be stepping into a weapons-rich system built around Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson.
Beyond the personnel, there’s also built-in familiarity. The Vikings recently added Frank Smith, Tagovailoa’s offensive coordinator in Miami from 2022 through 2025, to their coaching staff.
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It wasn’t long ago that Miami’s investment looked justified. In 2023, Tagovailoa led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards, becoming the first Dolphins quarterback since Dan Marino in 1992 to pace the league in that category.
He also posted career highs in touchdown passes (29), completions (388), and completion percentage (69.3%), cementing his status as one of the league’s most efficient quarterbacks.
That breakout season earned him a four-year, $212.4 million extension that placed him among the NFL’s highest-paid quarterbacks.
Since then, however, the trajectory has shifted, and Tagovailoa is coming off a career-worst campaign in which he threw for just 2,660 yards with 20 touchdowns and a career-high 15 interceptions as Miami slid to 7–10.
Whether due to regression, health concerns, or structural offensive issues, the production has not matched the financial commitment.
Recent reports indicate the Dolphins remain open to either trading Tagovailoa or restructuring his contract in an effort to avoid a crushing dead-cap scenario if they ultimately decide to move on.
According to Spotrac, Tagovailoa currently carries a $99.2 million dead-cap figure, a number that makes an outright release highly impractical and positions a trade as the only realistic path forward.
When you combine Tagovailoa’s statistical dip and massive financial footprint with Minnesota’s instability at quarterback, it’s easy to see why the Vikings have surfaced as one of the most logical trade partners.
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