Most Miami Dolphins fans will say that drafting Tua Tagovailoa was the smartest move they could have made back in 2020. Others will continue to argue he was the wrong choice. Those who stand on the latter's side of the fence, just got a notch in their belt.
Tagovailoa is no longer a member of the Dolphins, as general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan announced on Monday that Tagovailoa will be released before the start of the new league year.
We have informed QB Tua Tagovailoa that he will be released after the start of the new league year. pic.twitter.com/vc0chU6gYk
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) March 9, 2026
Miami Dolphins release Tua Tagovailoa with a post-June 1st designation
In what became yet another Chris Grier mistake, the Dolphins have finally come to the conclusion that has been at the forefront of their conversations since before the QB was benched in favor of Quinn Ewers.
Tagovailoa lost something along the way. His ending in Miami was similar to his beginning. Brian Flores never fully trusted Tagovailoa to run his offense. He opted to alternate between Tagovailoa and Ryan Fitzpatrick. At one point, it got so bad that the Dolphins' owner was on the phone with DeShaun Watson talking about the possibility of making a blockbuster trade in 2021.
Ross and Grier decided that Flores was the problem and that Tagovailoa was still the answer. Despite everything Mike McDaniel did to get Tagovailoa's career on track, it didn't work. Defenses figure out the limitations that Tagovailoa had; the QB couldn't figure out the defenses.
Teams took away Miami's fast-paced offense with double-high safety looks that Tagovialoa couldn't read. That, coupled with his sudden loss of instinct and mobility, doomed him, and eventually his coach.
Whatever changed in Tagovailoa could almost be drawn with a straight red line to the day he signed his contract extension. The $250 million contract should have been the motivation for him to play harder, but injuries and concussions took their toll.
2024 was a wash, but Tagovailoa missed games due to injuries and another concussion early in the season. He played in only 11 games. 2025 was the one that stood out, however. Perhaps a form of PTSD lingered for the QB.
Tagovailoa was hesitant to run the ball. He lost his confidence in the pocket, and his ability to read defenses suffered as a result.
The Dolphins' moving on from Tagovailoa was coming, even if Miami had retained Grier and McDaniel. Maybe it wouldn't have happened this season, but he wasn't making it past 2026 without a major turnaround. He will do that somewhere else now.