It remains to be seen what the Miami Dolphins will do with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who is rumored to be a top candidate to be moved by the Fins in the coming offseason.
For now, Miami appears to be happy to have rookie Quinn Ewers as its starting quarterback, as the 2025 NFL season winds down.
Getting benched for a rookie can be tough to deal with for a veteran like Tagovailoa, but if he’s frustrated with Miami’s decision to go with Ewers, he’s doing a great job at hiding it.
That’s a takeaway one can have after seeing an interaction on the bench between Tagovailoa and Ewers during Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
After leading the Dolphins to a scoring drive, Ewers went to the team bench and was seen on the broadcast having a nice little chat with Tagovailoa, who looked ecstatic for the younger quarterback.
Tua after watching Quinn Ewers TD drive:
— King of Phinland🐬👑 (@KingOfPhinland) December 28, 2025
“That was incredible” pic.twitter.com/froo1nNJZR
However, many fans don’t think Tagovailoa was being authentic in that moment, believing that he was simply being content with the fact that he’s already made bank regardless of his status with Miami.
Of course that's incredible… he's sitting on his ass on the bench making all this money watching somebody do what is supposed to be his job. 🤔🤷🤦
— Let's go Wahoos! 🏈❤🏀❤💯 (@senesational) December 29, 2025
Everyone sees this as Tua being a “good teammate” this is Tua not carting. He doesn’t want to play. He could care less. He’s paid.
— Cpt.StiffSocks (@mynameisMarc) December 29, 2025
That’s the smile of a man with $74 million in remaining guarantees in his contract
— Saul Badman (@C_Rocco13) December 28, 2025
I would love to get paid 212 million dollars to watch nfl from the sideline also
— User (@Heightzendorphr) December 29, 2025
Ewers still has a lot to prove if he is to become a future regular starting quarterback of the Dolphins, and even if he continues to impress under center in Week 18, Miami’s situation in that position will always start with a discussion about Tagovailoa.
Cutting the former Alabama Crimson Tide star will incur the Dolphins a huge cap hit in the future, and trading him could be harder to pull off, given his contract and injury history.
The Dolphins conclude their 2025 NFL season with a matchup against the New England Patriots on Sunday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.
