Dolphins make expected Tua Tagovailoa decision

It was previously suggested that the Miami Dolphins could attach a draft pick in a trade involving quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to get a different team to accept what's left of the four-year, $212.4M contract that Tagovailoa signed in the summer of 2024. 

No such trade will take place this week. 

Dolphins are parting ways with Tua Tagovailoa this way

On Monday morning, the Dolphins confirmed that they will release Tagovailoa after the new league year gets underway this coming Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET. The news is hardly surprising, as reports from earlier in March indicated that the Dolphins would not find a trade partner for the often-injured quarterback. 

Neither new Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan nor new head coach Jeff Hafley was with the franchise when it signed Tagovailoa to what became a regrettable extension. Tagovailoa missed four games after he suffered his third reported concussion since 2022 in Week 2 of the 2024 regular season. A hip injury later sidelined him for that campaign's final two weeks.

More recently, Tagovailoa was benched in favor of rookie Quinn Ewers late this past season. According to StatMuse, Tagovailoa was responsible for the third-most turnovers (16) committed from Week 1 through Week 18 of the 2025 campaign. 

Per ESPN and Bobby Kownack of the league's website, the Dolphins are eating an NFL-record $99.2M in dead-cap money to release Tagovailoa. By designating him as a post-June 1 cut, Miami will take on a $67.4M dead hit against the cap for the 2026 season. 

What's next for the Dolphins, Tua Tagovailoa?

Numerous stories have linked the Dolphins with Green Bay Packers backup quarterback Malik Willis. Hafley served as the defensive coordinator for the Packers across the past two seasons, while Sullivan was working as Green Bay's vice president of player personnel before he joined the Dolphins. 

As for Tagovailoa, NFL insider Connor Hughes of SNY shared that the signal-caller could join the Los Angeles Rams if backup Jimmy Garoppolo leaves that team. It's unknown if those running the Rams would view Tagovailoa as just a backup for veteran Matthew Stafford or as a possible successor for the reigning NFL Most Valuable Player.