Tua Tagovailoa is the starting quarterback for the Miami Dolphins, but his future with the franchise is in doubt. Now, a new report suggests the team could take an unusual road to moving on from him.
Trading Tagovailoa would be near impossible without eating most of his massive contract. That might be the best option; however, as the only other option would be to release him as a post-June 1 cut in 2026.
While fans continue to debate his future, NFL insider Ian Rapoport suggests the Dolphins may not keep the quarterback beyond this season.
Ian Rapoport believes Tua Tagovailoa could be released after the season
Much like the Denver Broncos went through, eating a massive chunk of dead cap money might be the best option to move on from Tagovailoa. If the Dolphins release him before June 1, they would incur $99.2 million in dead money. However, that amount drops considerably if he is designated for a post-June 1 release.
"Miami could spread that out if he's designated as a post-June 1 cut ($67.4 million in 2026, $31.8 million in 2027)," Rapoport writes.
Rapoport points out the same thing that Dolphins fans have seen this year. He leads the NFL in interceptions, but his play has dropped considerably since 2023, and he has yet to emerge as a leader. The Dolphins must decide Tagovailoa's future. Keeping him through 2026 makes sense, but it is only delaying the inevitable end to his Dolphins career.
"Another option, which seems more viable, is pay down some of the salary next offseason and trade him as a bridge QB for a team in transition or one that has a young QB they'd like to have sit. Would a team pay a portion of Tagovailoa's salary to have a bridge starter? Likely, they would," Rapoport adds.
Tagovailoa is going to be a major hot-button topic as the season winds down and heads towards the start of the league's new year in March.
What once seemed unfathomable is starting to make a lot more sense for a team looking to rebuild.