Tua Tagovailoa’s time as the Miami Dolphins starting quarterback is all but over.
The 27-year-old was benched for the final three games of a disappointing 2025 season, after throwing for 20 touchdowns and a career-high 15 interceptions in 14 starts.
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The Dolphins are expected to move on from Tagovailoa this yearCredit: Getty
Rookie Quinn Ewers stepped into his role, and won one of his three games under center as Miami finished 7-10.
That record marked the Dolphins‘ second-straight losing season, and head coach Mike McDaniel was later shown the door.
The first two years of McDaniels’ stint were promising for Tagovailoa, who went to the playoffs in 2022 and 2023, while also being named to the Pro Bowl roster.
But things have quickly unraveled, and the No. 5 pick of the 2020 draft suggested at the conclusion of the season that a change of scenery would be ‘dope’.
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Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, meanwhile, has confirmed that ‘everything’s on the table’ regarding the $212million QB.
“It could go in a lot of different ways,” Sullivan said at the NFL Combine this week.
“A trade is a possibility, but Tua is aware, his representation is aware. We’ve had really positive conversations, and, like I said, it’s kind of all on the table when it comes to Tua at this moment.
“(Tagovailoa’s reps) have expressed that he wants to play and that they still think he can play at a high level.
“The conversations have been productive, but they have not in particular said that they want to be traded.”
Who could replace Tua Tagovailoa as Dolphins’ starting QB?
Any kind of Tagovailoa departure would have a big consequences in Miami.
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Tua was benched for rookie Ewers, but any divorce would be expensiveCredit: Getty
Releasing the quarterback would produce an NFL-record $99.2m dead cap hit, if done before June 1.
The figure would be split over the next two seasons if Tagovaila is released after June 1, with a $67.4m hit in 2026.
Sullivan believes it’s possible to make that whole $99m dead cap hit work, but that it’s ‘not likely’ as the team evaluates options.
There has also been plenty of conversation around who could replace an outgoing Tagovaila.
Green Bay Packers signal caller Malik Willis is the consensus top free agent this year, and buzz is starting to build around him.
The New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals and Cleveland Browns are all expected to be ‘aggressively in’ on Willis, according to ESPN’s Ben Solak.
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Willis is the top QB free agent, but the Dolphins won’t engage in a bidding warCredit: Getty
He also named the Dolphins as a team with big interest in the QB that seriously impressed when he stepped in for Packers starter Jordan Love last season.
Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald, though, believes the team won’t get involved in a ‘bidding war’ for Willis, and will therefore lose out.
“The Dolphins are basically announcing at the NFL Combine they won’t be in a bidding war for Malik Willis,” Kelly posted on Tuesday.
“Interesting. Very interesting. Dolphins have annually let themselves be used by agent to raise the price many years running.”
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With Willis apparently out of Miami’s reach, the team has been tipped to go after a different name — Geno Smith.
“Smith’s tenure in Las Vegas was messy. And that’s being generous,” Henry McKenna of Fox Sports wrote this week.
“But remember that — just the season prior — he was leading the league in passing yards for the Seattle Seahawks. He’s still a good player.
“He’s not the type of player who can exceed his circumstances. Miami is rebuilding, and the Dolphins aren’t exactly an exciting place to land. But Smith isn’t in an exciting place in his career either. So this marriage happens by necessity.”
Fans unimpressed by Tua Tagovailoa’s touted replacement
While Smith has been tipped to land in Miami out of necessity, it’s fair to say fans are far from excited about the idea of replacing one interception-prone passer with another.
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Smith has been touted as Tua’s replacement, and fans aren’t impressedCredit: Getty
“This is what it has come to, Geno Smith? Miami’s QB issue is not solvable with anyone this year, nor any QB that could be drafted next season,” one wrote on X.
“Lmaooooo let’s go from the QB with the second most interceptions thrown to the one with most. That would be so Miami,” another said.
“Hard pass. Hardest of passes,” a third wrote of Smith.
“Let’s get the god damn facts straight. The Miami Dolphins is not getting f***ing Geno Smith — with the interceptions he had. You f***ing idiots,” a fourth raged.
“First the Willis talk and now this loser. I’m a 50 year Phins fan who’s about to leave this sinking ship,” a fifth concluded.
Last season, of course, was a huge disappointment for Miami. But as it stands, the Tagovailoa alternatives are not much better.
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It could be another tough watch at Hard Rock Stadium in 2026.
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