Tua Tagovailoa, former Miami Dolphins quarterback.
That will take some getting used to as Miami general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan announced March 9 the team will release the quarterback at the start of the new league year.
‘I recently informed Tua and his representation that we are going to move in a new direction at the quarterback position and will be releasing him after the start of the new league year,’ Sullivan said in a statement released by the team. ‘As I shared with Tua, I have great respect for the person and player he is. On behalf of the Miami Dolphins, I expressed our gratitude for his many contributions, both on the field and in the community, during his six seasons in Miami.’
The Dolphins will take on a record $99.2 million in dead money by releasing Tagovailoa. Miami will split Tagovailoa’s dead-cap hit over two seasons by designating him a post-June 1 release, per reports.
An era that began with the ‘Tank for Tua’ campaign, it comes to a close with the team having determined there is nothing left in that tank.
It was a decision that appeared to be inevitable once the Dolphins elected to fire head coach Mike McDaniel on Jan. 8, a move that came just months after the team mutually parted ways with GM Chris Grier on Oct. 31. The Dolphins responded by hiring the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator, Jeff Hafley, as head coach and also Sullivan, the team’s vice president of player personnel, to be the new GM.
While the new regime certainly didn’t boost Tagovailoa’s chances of sticking around in South Beach, his time with the Dolphins has been in doubt since being benched ahead of Week 16. Tagovailoa appeared to welcome a change of scenery after the season concluded.
‘That would be dope,’ Tagovailoa said via Palm Beach Post’s Joe Schad, when asked if he was hoping for a fresh start this offseason. ‘I would be good with it.’
The quarterback struggled to remain on the field since being drafted with the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, missing at least one game in 5 of 6 seasons. Concussions have been the main storyline for the former Alabama star.
Tagovailoa has suffered four documented concussions during his career. A trio of them have come since entering the NFL.
Tua Tagovailoa contract details
Despite the injury concerns, Miami still inked him to a four-year, $212.4 million deal ahead of the 2024 season, which carried an average annual value (AAV) of $53.1 million and came with over $167.1 million guaranteed, according to Spotrac.
Tua dead cap hit
The penalty for moving on from Tagovailoa this quickly is steep, though the Dolphins will be able to split his record $99.2 million dead-cap hit over two seasons.
Miami will have options for how to do that, according to OverTheCap.com. They can either take on a $67.4 million in dead cap for 2026 – costing them $11 million in cap space for the upcoming season – while still having $31.8 million in dead money tied to Tagovailoa in 2027 or take on $55.4 million in 2026 while having $43.8 million leftover in 2027.
It simply depends what the Dolphins plan on doing with Tagovailoa’s $15 million option bonus, which can be exercised at any point during the first 10 days of the new league year.
Tua Tagovailoa record
Tagovailoa will finish his Dolphins’ career with a 44-32 record in 76 games as a starter. He completed 68% of passes, tossed 120 touchdowns and 59 interceptions.
Now the southpaw will head to free agency in the hopes that a fresh start can get his career back on track.
Where is Tua going? Falcons among top landing spots
The Falcons are expected to make a ‘strong push’ for Tagovailoa as he hits free agency, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.
Atlanta could use a veteran quarterback to challenge Michael Penix Jr. and provide insurance behind him as he recovers from an ACL tear that prematurely ended his 2025 NFL season.
Tagovailoa would provide that and could thrive in new Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski’s system. Similar to Miami, the passer would operate in an offense that features top-tier skill position talent.
The remainder of Tagovailoa’s free-agent market remains murky, but a couple of teams looking for a stopgap may be interested in the veteran passer:
- New York Jets: New York is familiar with Tagovailoa as a division rival. Aaron Glenn and Co. will need a floor of competent QB play for new offensive coordinator Frank Reich, something which Tagovailoa can provide.
- Arizona Cardinals: With Kyler Murray set to hit free agency, Tagovailoa could slot into Mike LaFleur’s offense while they figure out a long-term plan at the position.