The Tua Tagovailoa saga may be coming to an end as March begins. The only question is, how will it end? The Miami Dolphins will owe an additional $3 million to the QB on March 13th, making it a soft deadline for a decision.
Free agency will begin on March 11th, with the open negotiation window starting March 9th. For the QB's future, everything remains on the table, according to Jon-Eric Sullivan, but NFL insider Jeremy Fowler is reporting that another team may enter the picture for the QB's services.
Fowler sees the Atlanta Falcons as a new potential destination for Tagovailoa, but he doesn't say how he will get there. He also said to keep an eye on the Vikings.
Both make more sense than the Chiefs, which was floated last week.
Tua Tagovailoa could become a target of the Falcons and Vikings if the Miami Dolphins move on
Dolphins fans will have a field day if the latest report from Fowler turns out to be true and the Vikings show interest in Tagovailoa. To this day, Miami fans still talk about the Brian Flores/Tua Tagovailoa relationship, and it would be absurdly laughable if the Vikings brought him in to compete or backup J.J. McCarthy.
With Flores the DC, the interactions don't have to be daily, but regardless, it would be an odd, if not impossible, situation in the halls of the facility.
"Something an NFL head coach said to me, unsolicited: 'Watch for Tua [Tagovailoa] in Atlanta.'"Jeremy Fowler
The Falcons make sense, however. They are releasing Kirk Cousins when free agency begins on March 11th. Tagovailoa will likely land a low-end, possibly even a league minimum veteran contract if the Dolphins release him. Without having to pay him a lot of money, they would get a quality backup, if not a starter, to compete. Tagovailoa may not be able to play in cold weather, but he does very well inside a dome.
Fowler still sees a pathway for Tagovailoa to be traded, but it will be a tough sell. There are plenty of teams that could show interest in the QB, but he isn't going to be a top FA target for anyone, so they can let the Dolphins release him and then pursue him without much competition.
The future of Tagovailoa is uncertain outside of the fact that his time in Miami is over, but he seems headed towards being in his first competition for playing time since his rookie season.