Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa may have played his last down with the franchise. Selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Alabama product was the second quarterback taken in his class, just ahead of Oregon’s Justin Herbert. After a rocky start to his career with former head coach Brian Flores, Tagovailoa seemed to find life under Mike McDaniel.
Update: The Miami Dolphins have benched Tua Tagovailoa in favor of rookie Quinn Ewers
From 2022 to 2024, Tagovailoa completed 69% of his passes for 11,039 yards, 73 touchdowns, and 29 interceptions while paired with McDaniel and former Kansas City Chiefs superstar Tyreek Hill. While the duo never found playoff success together, they had one of the league’s better offenses in 2022, 2023, and parts of 2024.
Unfortunately, cracks started to show in 2024, and this led to a complete collapse in 2025. Tagovailoa leads the NFL in interceptions, and McDaniel says he’s considering benching the quarterback for the remainder of the season. If this happens, will the one-time Pro Bowler return for the 2026 season?
Tua Tagovailoa May Have Played His Last Down For The Dolphins
Even at his best, Tua Tagovailoa’s film never matched his high-level production. Despite leading the NFL in passing yards in 2023, the Alabama product always looked like a part of an elite system. After all, you don’t need to be peak Peyton Manning to have a connection on wide-open patterns to Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
Tagovailoa proved he could execute an NFL offense in ideal conditions, but the past year and a half show he can’t overcome less-than-ideal surroundings. Even before Hill suffered his season-ending injury, opposing defenses had adjusted to Miami’s scheme. Now, Tagovailoa had to carry the offense, and he simply couldn’t do it. There’s no shame in this, as only a handful of quarterbacks can thrive regardless of their surroundings. However, players like Tagovailoa simply aren’t worth massive contracts, which could put Miami in a tough situation.
The Contract
Are there 32 quarterbacks in the NFL better than Tua Tagovailoa? Probably not. However, the Dolphins signed the quarterback to a massive $212.4 million contract, and any team looking to secure his services must also a portion of that contract.
Nobody will trade for Tua Tagovailoa unless the Dolphins eat a sizable portion of the contract, and even then it’s hard to envision Miami getting anything more than a late-round pick for his services. Put simply, there are more cost-effective options out there, and there isn’t much of a difference between Tagovailoa and a cost-effective impending free agent like Joe Flacco or Marcus Mariota.
Additionally, Tagovailoa might not even be the best high-priced quarterback on the trade block. The Atlanta Falcons will probably want to trade Kirk Cousins, and the veteran has played well since replacing the injured Michael Penix. If he’s truly over his Achilles injury, he’s a better option than Tagovailoa.
The Miami Dolphins might bench Tua Tagovailoa in the next few days. However, unless they can a way to offload his contract, he’ll probably be stuck in Miami for at least one more season.
