The Dolphins will likely be unable to trade Tua Tagovailoa
The Miami Dolphins are parting ways with Tua Tagovailoa. This has been widely speculated since the Dolphins benched him following a Week 15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. While the Dolphins’ front office and coaching staff have not publicly stated that Tagovailoa will not return in 2026, reporting around the situation has indicated that Miami will look to move the quarterback.
Whether the team trades or releases him is yet to be decided, as the contract extension he signed prior to the 2024 season complicates things. After leading the NFL in passing yards and making the Pro Bowl in 2023, Miami chose to sign Tagovailoa to a four-year deal worth up to $212 million. Things went downhill for Miami and Tagovailoa after that, and two seasons later, the Dolphins are stuck with trying to figure out what to do with Tagovailoa’s contract.
Due to his large contract, the Dolphins recently received some bad news.
Miami Dolphins Unlikely to Find Trade Partner for Tagovailoa
ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported that the Dolphins are “unlikely to find a trade partner for Tua Tagovailoa and will most likely have to pay most of Tua’s contract to find a suitor.” Finding a suitable trade partner for Tagovailoa will be difficult, as many teams would likely prefer to have him as a backup or in competition for the starting job.
Out of all the possible teams Tagovailoa might go to, perhaps the Vikings make the most sense. They play in a dome, which is preferable for Tagovailoa’s skill set. Additionally, Kevin O’Connell’s scheme is not that different from the one Mike McDaniel ran in Miami. The Vikings are said to be in the quarterback market. However, their defensive coordinator Brian Flores does not have the best history with Tagovailoa.
Regarding Tagovailoa’s contract situation, Sports Illustrated’s Dante Collinelli previously wrote, “At this point, it seems more than likely the Dolphins will designate Tua Tagovailoa as a post-June 1 cut this offseason. That would spread his dead cap hit out across two seasons, resulting in $67 million in dead cap for 2026 and $32 million in 2027. It’s a tough pill to swallow for Miami, and it would break the previous dead-cap hit record set by the Broncos when they released Russell Wilson.”
Dolphins Options at Quarterback
While breaking the Russell Wilson dead-money record would be daunting for the Dolphins, Denver showed how you can turn around the franchise once you have the right quarterback and coach. Two years after releasing Wilson, the Broncos reached the AFC Championship. Miami will now hope for a similar fate.
The Broncos used the draft as a way to replace Wilson; the Dolphins are expected to use free agency to find their next quarterback. The team has been linked with Malik Willis throughout the offseason, as Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley spent the last two seasons with him in Green Bay.
Willis impressed in limited playing time for the Packers these past few seasons. Similarly to Miami, Green Bay’s offense runs a West Coast-style, which would make the transition easier for the free agent quarterback. However, with the Dolphins still paying Tagovailoa, they may not have enough cap space to pursue Willis.
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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