Even though Miami Dolphins legend Dan Marino recently publicly endorsed quarterback Tua Tagovailoa as "excellent", the new regime led by GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley is expected to do whatever it takes to move off Tua this offseason.
This isn't exactly breaking news, but the massive contract Tua is under makes a straightforward, pre-June 1 release straight-up devastating from a salary cap standpoint.
Cutting Tua outright would result in a $99 million dead money cap charge. For the 2026 season alone, a pre-June 1 Tua release takes the Dolphins' already-awful cap situation of $16.4 million in the red all the way to a deficit of $59.3 million, per OverTheCap.com.
The latest intel from ESPN insider Adam Schefter indicates that Miami is willing to work with a potential Tua suitor to make a trade happen, even if it incurs a less prohibitive penalty than what's laid out in the prior paragraph.
Miami Dolphins reportedly willing to pay part of Tua Tagovailoa's hefty salary to facilitate a trade
Unless this has been reported elsewhere and isn't widely publicized, the major revelation from Schefter's Super Bowl Sunday piece is that the Dolphins are willing to pay off some of Tua's contract as part of a trade:
"The Dolphins would like to explore trading Tua Tagovailoa. [...] Miami is expected to be willing to pay down a portion of Tagovailoa's contract to help facilitate a trade, sources told ESPN, though the money still makes it challenging."
Now, it's worth noting that the Dolphins could rather easily free up some cap space with multiple transactions involving other veteran players.
For instance, trading or releasing star wide receiver Tyreek Hill before June 1 saves them about $22.9 million on its own. OverTheCap.com shows that restructuring Bradley Chubb's contract would create another $12.16 million in 2026 savings. Another $10.7 million is freed up via a hypothetical Minkah Fitzpatrick contract restructure.
Miami also has six draft picks in the top 111, including three third-round selections. Kicking one of those Round 3 picks in a Tua trade package, plus paying however much of his contract to appease a prospective partner, could put any deal over the finish line.
What the Dolphins need to ask themselves is, who could realistically be had to upgrade over Tua?
Quinn Ewers showed some promise in the last three games of the 2025 season once Tua was benched, but expectations should be held in check for a seventh-round pick. Malik Willis is a logical free-agent fit due to his shared time with Hafley and Sullivan in Green Bay. My preferred wild-card trade candidate is uber-talented Dallas Cowboys backup Joe Milton.
We'll all find out together soon enough how Sullivan and the new-look front office tackle this morbidly compelling Tua predicament.