The Tua Tagovailoa situation will come to a close soon for the Miami Dolphins, it appears. Releasing the quarterback seems to be the only option at this point. A trade is becoming less and less likely.
Trades are flying around the NFL ahead of free agency, and the Dolphins may have received an offer that may have been hard to pass up this year. A report from CBS's Jonathan Jones said one team was willing to take on the entire Tagovailoa contract, but at a high price.
One team reportedly considered taking on Tua Tagovailoa's contract, if Miami was also willing to include a first-round pick in the transaction. https://t.co/p8an6m7UEC
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) March 5, 2026
Unknown team considered bailing the Miami Dolphins out of Tua Tagovailoa's contract for a first-round pick
On the surface, this isn't a good deal for the Dolphins, but when you start to dive in, it makes more and more sense. The question is whether or not it was actually offered. According to Jones, the Dolphins would have needed to send their first-round pick to that team.
Jones said this came from a "high-ranking team executive," but didn't go into much more detail, making this more speculative than fact or rumor.
The Dolphins, if this were actually offered, should consider the trade. Miami is on the hook for a lot of money. Releasing him outright would cost the Dolphins $99 million, and if they designate him a post-June 1st cut, they would eat $56 million. In a draft that may not go Miami's way, losing the 11th overall pick and saving more cap space than they can imagine would be a jumpstart to the rebuild without a major cap hit.
It's difficult to assume that the report is 100% authentic, because it hasn't been reported that an offer was actually made, but would it be worth the price?
The short answer is yes. Miami needs draft capital, but getting out of the Tagovailoa cap tunnel is enticing.
Miami has yet to find a suitable offer for its quarterback, and indications remain that they will eat a record-setting amount of dead money to get rid of him. Earlier this week, it was reported that the Dolphins could part ways with him on Wednesday when the free agent market officially opens.
With the money Jon-Eric Sullivan would save, he could fill holes on the roster with better players. Jeff Hafley would have better talent on the roster out of the gate. It's worth keeping an eye on, but for now, nothing seems to be imminent on any front.