The Miami Dolphins committed some of the darnedest dual acts of self-sabotage in NFL history with their handling of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Although Tua was a stone-cold baller for a couple of years under previous head coach Mike McDaniel, his mounting injury history and multiple concussions made him a risky investment for a lucrative second contract. Miami proceeded with a $200+ million deal anyway, only to see his play rapidly regress.
Tua was recently released to the tune of some $99 million in dead money. That's even more all-in to all-out an organization has been invested in a franchise QB than Russell Wilson's cataclysmic flop in Denver.
One former Dolphins Pro Bowler appears to have never really bought into the Tua hype.
Ex-Miami Dolphins WR Jarvis Landry gets brutally honest about Tua Tagovailoa
Jarvis Landry was a three-time Pro Bowler for Miami back when that honor held a little more significance. Landry caught passes from Ryan Tannehill for three of his four Dolphins seasons, save for when Tannehill was out with a torn ACL in 2017. That was mostly Smokin' Jay Cutler.
Suffice it to say that Landry knows a first-round talent at QB when he sees one. Tannehill was a supreme athlete as a converted college wide receiver. Cutler had one of the strongest arms of all-time.
So it comes as little surprise that Landry, in his 4th and South podcast debut alongside Leonard Fournette, sounded off on why he isn't a big Tua believer, and seemingly never was:
"I don’t know if there is a right team. He has a lot of limitations. […] I think we all know that he's not the guy, and we were just hoping that it happens. And I couldn't play quarterback, to be honest. I play receiver for a reason. I think he had the weapons, man, and I don't want to say his body failed him. I just think that the talent never really stood out."
“I just think that the talent never really stood out.”@God_Son80 reacts to the end of the Tua era with the Miami Dolphins pic.twitter.com/O9fkQ11ieJ
— 4th and South (@4thAndSouthPod) March 12, 2026
Tua is headed to the Atlanta Falcons to try to revive his career, but Landry evidently doesn't think any landing spot will accomplish that objective.
However, the Falcons do play in a dome at home and are in a much easier division than Miami, where the likes of Josh Allen and Drake Maye were Tua's counterparts. Atlanta's QB rivals include young Saints signal-caller Tyler Shough, diminutive Panthers field general Bryce Young, and Landry's former Browns teammate, Baker Mayfield, in Tampa Bay.
It's unclear whether this podcast was taped before Tua's next team was known. In any event, Landry played under Stefanski in Cleveland, where the latter was a two-time Coach of the Year. It'd be interesting to hear Landry's thoughts on Tua's fit with the Falcons in particular under Stefanski's tutelage.
The relationship between Stefanski and Baker soured, but Stefanski did help Joe Flacco catch a second (third? fourth?) wind in the NFL while leading the Browns to the playoffs in the 2023 season. Tua is hoping a similar redemptive arc is in store, provided he can stay ahead of Falcons first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. on the depth chart.
Tua will have at least a puncher's chance to start in Atlanta out of the gates. Penix is still recovering from his latest knee injury. If Landry is correct, though, Tua's opportunity may be short-lived, especially given Penix's far superior arm strength and inherent upside.