The Miami Dolphins are expected to take a huge cap hit when it comes to Tua Tagovailoa this offseason. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported there is little to no trade market for their quarterback and Miami will just flat out release him soon.

He previously reported the Atlanta Falcons could be a landing spot before too long. That remains the case as of Saturday as the Falcons try and round Michael Penix Jr. into form.

But it’s a process, considering Tagovailoa could be a post-June 1st designation. We’re talking almost $100 million in dead cap.

“He has not been released yet,” Fowler said on Saturday morning’s SportsCenter. “The Dolphins are playing this koi a little bit. The expectation around the league is that Miami will move on and take on the huge dead cap hit, which could be up to $99 million if they just cut them outright here soon. There’s really no trade leverage here, or teams trying to make a move for him. You know, some people around the league I’ve talked to are looking at a place like Atlanta. Maybe he can go there for a month or two and keep the seat warm for Michael Penix, their young quarterback, until he comes back. So we’ll see if Tua finds a home, not a guarantee.”

With new head coach Jeff Hafley running the show, the Dolphins are clearly going in a different direction from Tagovailoa. They brought in new OC Bobby Slowik as well.

Tagovailoa is still under contract until 2028 and has over $50 million left in guaranteed money. His contract carries a cap hit of $56.3 million and a dead cap value of $99.2 million, which is why there are still questions about what could be next for him after a rough stretch in Miami.

Tagovailoa took a leap forward in his first two years under Mike McDaniel in Miami from 2022-23, including a league-leading 4,624 passing yards to go with 29 touchdowns in 2023. However, he struggled from there as injuries mounted. He threw for 2,660 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2025 in 14 games before being benched.

Wednesday marks the start of the new league year, meaning teams are starting to get things in order with free agency on the horizon. Monday marks the start of the legal tampering period, meaning teams can begin official talks with free agents.

Nick Schultz contributed to this report