The Dolphins want to rid themselves of Tua Tagovailoa and his contract. That is easier said than done.
Miami owes Tagovailoa $54 million guaranteed in 2026, with another $3 million of his 2027 salary becoming fully guaranteed on March 15. The Dolphins would have to take on some of Tagovailoa's contract to facilitate a trade, but even then, the money makes a trade challenging.
The Dolphins, though, have ruled out nothing.
"We're evaluating the entire roster," new General Manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said at the Scouting Combine on Tuesday. "As it pertains to Tua, we've had conversations with Tua and his representation. Everything is on the table, including the potential of a trade. We don't know which way that's going to go. There's a lot of different factors at play, a lot of conversations being had."
A release of Tagovailoa would leave them with a $99 million dead cap charge for this year, or they could make him a post-June 1 cut and spread that over two years.
Either way, it appears Quinn Ewers will start for the Dolphins in 2026, with Sullivan allowing that the Dolphins will draft at least one quarterback.
"Evaluating the roster, Quinn did a nice job toward the end of the year. Excited about what's ahead for him," Sullivan said. "Tua, I thought, even though things didn't go well at the end of the year, did some good things along the way. It's my job to infuse competition into that room as well as every other room."