What will the Miami Dolphins do with Tua Tagovailoa? Fans want to know, the media wants to know, and even Tagovailoa himself probably wants to know. The Dolphins have made it clear that trading him is their best option, but what if it isn't possible?
We have maintained that trading the quarterback shouldn't be that hard, at least in terms of finding a suitor. It's an easy buy-in for the receiving team because they carry few cap restrictions off the trade. There is another option that most fans haven't given much thought to, and it might be the road Miami ultimately takes.
Miami Herald sports journalist Omar Kelly recently spoke on WQAM and dropped a potential avenue that no one seems to be talking about. Why can't Tagovailoa stay on the roster? But not in the way we all think.
Omar Kelly drops a Tua Tagovailoa option few if any are talking about and it makes more sense for the Miami Dolphins
I honestly wish I had thought about it, but if a trade for Tagovailoa fails, keeping him on the roster and putting him on IR makes a lot more sense than eating so much dead cap space this year.
Yes, Kelly said the Dolphins could put him on injured reserve, and this makes a lot of sense.
"If you keep him here as a backup or put him on IR, you don't lose anything"Omar Kelly - WQAM
The question you are asking is why IR? For starters, he has plenty of ailments that could keep him off the field, and if the Dolphins don't view him as 100%, they don't have to keep him on the active roster. Secondly, his being on IR opens a roster spot for another quarterback to be on the roster.
We all know Miami is going to spend a ton of money to release or trade him, but no matter what option they choose, it all comes down to getting him out of the locker room and off the team. IR does that as well.
It wouldn't be the first time a team has done this. The Texans did it with Deshaun Watson, who was traded to the Browns the following offseason.
The Dolphins could hold onto Tagovailoa this year, pay him his $3 million roster bonus and $54 million, and then shed the contract next offseason without any major cap hits. In addition, they could open an opportunity for a mid-training camp trade or trade deadline move.
In both of those trade scenarios, the Dolphins would be able to spread the money out over two seasons as they would come after June 1st, but also if a team needs a starting quarterback, perhaps due to injury, Tagovailoa's value will be higher, and the Dolphins may not be forced to take on such a massive hit financially.
The other option is that if for some reason Miami needed him this year, he would be on the roster.
IR makes sense for the Dolphins if a trade isn't hashed out. Essentially, you are eliminating a player from the roster you don't want on it, without taking a massive cap hit just to get rid of him. Regardless, he doesn't play for you, and if he doesn't want to be part of the team, on IR, he doesn't have to be.