Miami Dolphins fans are livid over how the team performed in Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts, and many are ready for a change at quarterback.
Tua Tagovailoa wasn’t the only issue, but as the supposed leader of the team, his lack of production and accountability, along with a growing list of concerns, has some Dolphins fans wondering if it’s time to move on.
Dolphins fans aren’t the only ones questioning Tagovailoa's future in South Florida. ESPN’s Matt Miller looked into it too, enough to check what it would cost the Dolphins to cut ties. The answer? A whopping $79.2 million if he was outright released him before June 1.
Tua Tagovailoa's current contract is far too costly for the Dolphins to get out of
If the Dolphins were to designate Tagovailoa as a post-June 1 cut, they would absorb $62.4 million in dead money while saving a measly $6 million. The Broncos took a catastrophic $85.2 million dead cap hit over two seasons after they cut Russell Wilson in March of 2024.
It remains to be seen if owner Stephen Ross and general manager Chris Grier (if he's even still with Miami by then) would be willing to take on that much dead money.
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It is much more realistic that the Dolphins move on after the 2026 season. Releasing Tagovailoa with a post-June 1 designation in 2027 would save Miami $45 million in cap room. They would inherit just $8.4 million in dead money. If they outright cut him before then, the Dolphins would save $36.6 million with a $16 million dead cap charge.
It's important to note, too, that the savings are the same on both fronts if Miami was to trade the former No. 5 overall pick, but if this leads to the front office wanting to move on they would have lost all of their leverage. Interested teams would just wait for him to get cut at that point.
The best the Dolphins - and their fans - can hope for is that Sunday was simply a terrible day at the office and Tagovailoa turns it around, because moving on isn't in the cards for a while.