The word "soon" can be so vague, but at the same time, it can also actually mean what it is supposed to. When it comes to the Miami Dolphins' decision on Tua Tagovailoa, it can't get here fast enough.
Jon-Eric Sullivan sat at the team's training field talking with season ticket holders. He and Jeff Hafley gave fans a glimpse of what direction they are hoping to take with the team. Then he addressed the Tagovailoa situation.
"We are getting close to a decision," Sullivan told the fans in attendance. The team, through Sullivan, is expected to make a decision sooner rather than later. Now, it's a matter of waiting to find out exactly when that might happen.
Miami Dolphins have spoken to Tua Tagovailoa about his future, but nothing is concrete yet
Jeremy Fowler reported on ESPN Saturday that the team is "nearing a decision." The Dolphins will have to pay an additional $3 million to Tagovailoa on March 13th, two days after the league's new year begins.
There are only a handful of options the Dolphins have when it comes to the quarterback.
- Release before June 1st - $99 million cap hit
- Release him after June 1st - $67 million cap hit in 2026, $30 plus million in 2027
- Trade him - Dead money will be dependant on how much the Dolphins want to take on
- Keep him - At $54 million, he would still need to compete for the starting job.
None of this works in favor of the Dolphins. Regardless of what they do, they are going to be paying a lot of money. It's a bad contract for a guy who had only one stellar season.
"Miami is nearing a decision on what to do with his future and his $54 million guaranteed. So, the chances of somebody taking that on are very slim. I think that Miami would hope that they could swing a deal, or somebody would cover a little bit of that money, offset it a little bit and sort of hope for the best. But him returning and them restructuring his deal is still on the table, but it seems unlikely at this point."Jeremy Fowler via Bleacher Report
The one line that will have fans worried is restructuring his contract. That would save the Dolphins money this year, but could potentially push money into 2027. The Dolphins can't afford to keep moving this around.
Free agency will begin on March 11th, and a decision is expected prior to that. In fact, it could come as early as a week before, when the Dolphins begin planning their negotiations with free agents on March 9th.
This is not what Miami or Ross envisioned when they gave Tagovailoa a massive contract before the 2024 season. Sullivan has made it clear that the team will consider quarterback options in the draft this year and in every other year as needed. He has also stressed the need for competition in the quarterback room.
During the conference with the fans, Sullivan would not say whether or not the quarterback would return, but did stress that if he does, he will need to compete.
The least appealing option is to keep him another year. His contract flips in favor of Miami in 2027. If Miami holds him for another year, they will incur $31.8 million in dead money but would offset that with $21.6 million in savings. That dead money drops to just $13.4 million, with $40 million in savings, if designated for a post-June 1st release next offseason.
The decision on Tagovailoa will be the catalyst for how Miami approaches its rebuild. Ripping the band-aid off now will hurt their chances in 2026 to add quality free agents, but it accelerates the process. The Broncos did this with Russell Wilson. Two years later, and they are out of his contract.
Aside from the abysmal contract is Tagovailoa's drop in play. He hasn't been close to the quarterback he was prior to getting his extension. If Sullivan and Hafley believe they can turn it around, they are wrong; more likely, they are just finding the right financial angle for the team this year.