The Miami Dolphins need to find a backup quarterback for Tua Tagovailoa. We now know one potential target won't be coming to Miami.
It would have made sense for the Dolphins to pursue several free-agent quarterbacks when the market opened, especially ones who have knowledge of the Mike McDaniel style of offense.
When the market opened on Wednesday, one name, Jimmy Garoppolo, was on the watch list, but The Athletic's Dianna Russini reports he is staying with the Los Angeles Rams after signing a one-year, $11 million contract.
Garoppolo wasn't the greatest option for Miami, but his time in San Francisco would have lessened the learning curve in Miami under McDaniel.
The Dolphins have made a relatively quiet start to free agency, although they have already lost wide receiver Braxton Barrios to the Houston Texans.
The Miami Dolphins still have options to find a backup quarterback after missing on Jimmy Garoppolo
Marcus Mariota remains a quarterback many believe the Dolphins should target, and it would make sense, given he and Tua are similar in their play styles.
Ahead of the 2024 season, the Dolphins failed to find a suitable backup, believing Tua would stay healthy all season. They went into the year with Tagovailoa and Skylar Thompson on the roster after they released Mike White, who lost the job in training camp.
When Tua went down, Thompson followed a week later, leaving the Dolphins to start Tyler Huntley. The season was a mess after that. While Miami almost recovered and fell just short of the playoffs, Grier and McDaniel both said they were going to put a priority on finding suitable backups.
The biggest problem is that there are not many available who can lead a team longer than a couple of games at most.