Tua Tagovailoa’s time with the Miami Dolphins appears to be over.
The Dolphins decided to bench the former Alabama Crimson Tide star quarterback for the remainder of the 2025 NFL season, following Miami’s 28-15 loss in Week 15 to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The loss eliminated Miami from NFL playoff contention and was seemingly the final straw for the Fins on Tagovailoa, who threw his 15th interception of the season in that contest.
It will be rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers handling the QB1 chores for the Dolphins the rest of the way, as the team looks to address their situation with Tagovailoa.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Dolphins “are prepared to move on” from Tagovailoa in the coming offseason.
However, getting rid of Tagovailoa is going to be easier said than done.
As noted by Schefter, the Dolphins still owe Tagovailoa $54 million guaranteed in the 2026 NFL season. In addition, $3 million of the signal-caller’s salary in 2026 will become guaranteed money on March 15.
If the Dolphins cut Tagovailoa, that would incur a historic dead money salary cap charge of $99 million for the team. Meanwhile, trading Tagovailoa would also require Miami to find a team willing to take on his salary, while also likely parting ways with significant draft capital.
Whatever the Dolphins end up doing with Tagovailoa, it will surely send shockwaves across the league.
