On Wednesday, the Miami Dolphins made the decision to bench veteran quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for rookie Quinn Ewers. Head coach Mike McDaniel hinted at a possible quarterback change on Tuesday, following the team’s Week 15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and a change was made. Besides Ewers having the opportunity to impress the franchise, this move is being viewed as the end of Tagovailoa‘s stint in Miami.
However, the veteran quarterback was benched, not cut. That means he will remain on the roster for the rest of the season. The Dolphins are saying they’re finished with Tagovailoa as their franchise quarterback, so an offseason trade or release would make sense. However, because of the quarterback’s contract, things won’t be that simple. Because of all the money Miami already committed to Tagovailoa, he will probably be on the roster in 2026.
The numbers game:
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 17, 2025
Tua Tagovailoa already has $54 million guaranteed to him in 2026.
On March 15, $3M of his 2027 salary becomes guaranteed.
Cutting him would leave $99M in dead money.
Post June 1 cut would equal $67.4M in dead money in 2026, $31.8M in 2027. https://t.co/DowBg5XZCR
Dolphins will have a hard time officially moving on from Tua Tagovailoa because of his contract
Just last offseason, in July of 2024, Tagovailoa agreed to a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension. Miami and the quarterback are just one year into that deal. That means cutting Tagovailoa would leave the franchise with a ton of dead cap — $99 million according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The cleanest break up would be finding a trade partner for the veteran quarterback that’s willing to take on his entire contract. Unless the Dolphins can find a team that absolutely believes in Tagovailoa, that’s not going to happen. Even if Miami finds a trade partner, it would likely be asked to take on some of the contract to facilitate the deal. That may be the best path forward.
If the Dolphins don’t take that approach, they could have a situation similar to the Atlanta Falcons with Kirk Cousins. Atlanta gave Cousins a $180 million contract, then benched him for a first-round rookie after 14 games. Because of all the money committed to Cousins, the Falcons held on to him as an expensive backup. If Miami can’t find a trade partner that’s willing to take on enough of Tagovailoa’s contract, he could be returning to the Dolphins for the 2026 season.