What's next for Tua Tagovailoa as Dolphins begin round of cuts?

If you’re reading this, then there’s a good chance the new-look Miami Dolphins also released you from their roster on Monday.

OK, obviously not really. You don’t play in the NFL. Still, the Dolphins were quite busy cleaning up some perceived dead weight on their roster. For one, perennial All-Pro receiver Tyreek Hill was released as he recovers from a knee injury. He’s probably going to find a new NFL home soon enough; it just won’t be in Southern Florida. So was high-priced pass-rusher, Bradley Chubb.

Hill’s release, in particular, raises an interesting, more pertinent question for first-year head coach Jeff Hafley and company. What’s quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s future in Miami? Are the rebuilding/retooling Dolphins willing to stick it out at least one more season with a quarterback who has proven he’s not good enough? Or do they want to cut bait right now and simply get on with their lives?

According to Jordan Schultz, it sounds like Tagovailoa has likely played his last snap for the Dolphins, one way or another. If they can’t find a trade partner for the veteran signal-caller, he will probably be released in short order before the 2026 NFL league year begins on Wednesday, March 11th.

Let’s cut to the chase. I would be stunned if someone traded for Tagovailoa. The mere fact that he’s being shopped has leaked to an insider of sorts tells me the Dolphins are having trouble finding suitors for the NFL’s 11th-highest paid quarterback by total guaranteed money. It’s clear no one wants to foot the bill for a quarterback whose smallest cap hit over the next three seasons will be $53.4 million, per Over The Cap. That’s Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen money, not mediocre quarterback money.

As such, news like this is usually the precursor to a player like Tagovailoa getting released soon after. Of course, that doesn’t come without a cost. If the Dolphins release Tagovailoa before June 1st, they will incur $99.2 million in dead salary cap money. That’s … steep and restrictive to any possible team-building Miami might want to do this offseason. But it seems leadership is prepared to rip the Tagovailoa Band-Aid off now, rather than let him linger around the organization in a new era. The Dolphins aren’t necessarily trying to be competitive in 2026. Tagovailoa’s release would be a bold calculation with a long-term perspective.

Perhaps, that’s what the Dolphins need more than anything after flirting with middling irrelevance for the past few seasons.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Will Dolphins release Tua Tagovailoa? The latest after Miami cuts

What’s next for Tua Tagovailoa as Dolphins begin round of cuts?

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