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Dolphins Weigh Tua Tagovailoa Trade as New Regime Recasts QB Plans

The contract’s dead-money math makes a release prohibitive, pushing Miami to explore a salary-eating trade.

Overview

  • Reporting indicates the Dolphins’ preferred outcome is to trade Tagovailoa under the new Jeff HafleyJon-Eric Sullivan leadership, with keeping him viewed as possible if no viable deal emerges.
  • NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport says a trade is doable and he would be surprised if Tagovailoa remains in Miami in 2026, though the Dolphins would likely need to absorb a significant portion of his pay.
  • Tagovailoa carries a 2026 cap charge of about $56.3 million, and cutting him would trigger roughly $99.2 million in dead money before June 1 or split charges of $67.4 million in 2026 and $31.8 million in 2027 with a post–June 1 designation.
  • Miami is evaluating internal and external quarterback options, with Quinn Ewers in-house and Malik Willis frequently linked due to ties to decision-makers who arrived from Green Bay.
  • After a 2025 season with 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions that ended in a benching, team legend Dan Marino noted Tagovailoa is currently on the roster and suggested a quarterback competition is likely.