The Miami Dolphins finally made the move Monday that fans across the nation had been waiting for. Tua Tagovailoa is no longer a member of the team.
The move leaves the Dolphins with a massive dead cap hit, the likes of which the NFL has never seen. It's record-setting. It's also an early defining moment for general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and an acceptance by Stephen Ross that they had made a mistake.
Tagovailoa's extension has been the center of controversy since the day he ran onto the practice field in front of fans, grabbed the microphone, and started yelling, "Show me the money." It was said to be a bet or a dare or something. The only thing it turned out to be was a bad look for the quarterback.
Tua Tagovailoa's release gives Miami Dolphins a chance to rebuild their future path
The release wasn't surprising. The Dolphins had few options given his pricetag. Tagovailoa's performance on the field the last two seasons wasn't going to entice a QB-needy team to run to the phone and call Sullivan.
With the post-June 1st release, Tagovailoa will carry a whopping $67.5 million in dead cap space. That's enough to give the Dolphins, who trailed the Jets a day ago, more dead space than any team in the NFL this year. There is good news, however. By splitting the hit over two years, Miami avoids the $99 million dead hit and will now carry only $31.8 million in dead money in 2027.
Presuming Tua Tagovailoa plays for the minimum this year, the Dolphins will wind up paying nearly $147 million for two years on his 2024 contract. They had him, at the time, on a $23.4 million option for '24, so Miami paid over $123 million for one additional year of Tua.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 9, 2026
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Dolphins fans knew there was no easy way out of this. The Dolphins had to do something, and the only other option on the table was retaining Tagovailoa as an overpriced backup. That was never really an option.
With the move, the Dolphins don't save anything. They were expected to be a bargain shopping team this year, and that is exactly what they will be doing. Supplementing the roster with low-end free agents, draft picks, and undrafted rookies was always going to be the route this offseason.
The only thing for fans to watch for now is to see how the switch to Malik Willis at QB will go. Fans will undoubtedly be watching to see if Tua performs well in his new home in Atlanta as well.