Tua Tagovailoa Benched as Dolphins Turn to Rookie QB: What It Means for Miami’s Future
When the Dolphins handed Tua Tagovailoa a $212.4 million extension last year, it looked like Miami had locked in its quarterback of the future. Fast forward to Week 16 of the 2025 season, and that future suddenly feels a lot less certain.
On Wednesday, head coach Mike McDaniel announced that Tagovailoa would be inactive as a starter for the first time this season - and not because of injury. Instead, the former Alabama standout will serve as the emergency third quarterback when the Dolphins host the Bengals on Sunday.
Starting under center? Seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers.
That’s a seismic shift for a franchise that’s spent the better part of the last half-decade building around Tua. He’s started every game he’s been healthy for since midway through his rookie season in 2020. Now, with Miami sitting at 6-8 and staring down its 25th straight season without a playoff win, the team is pivoting - and fast.
Tua’s Honest Assessment: “I Haven’t Been Performing”
Tagovailoa didn’t sugarcoat things when asked about the benching.
“I haven’t been performing up to the level and the capabilities that I have in the past,” he said Wednesday.
And the numbers back him up. Through 14 games, Tua has completed 260 of 384 passes for 2,660 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. That’s a passer rating of 88.5 - a far cry from the elite efficiency he showed in 2022 when he led the league in passer rating, or even 2023 when he topped the NFL in passing yards and earned a Pro Bowl nod.
This year? He leads the league in interceptions.
His completion percentage (67.7%) is down five points from last season. He’s averaging over 70 fewer passing yards per game than he did a year ago.
It's been a steep drop for a quarterback who entered the season ranked ninth all-time in passer rating among players with at least 2,000 career attempts - ahead of names like Tom Brady.
But Tua isn’t blaming injuries or bad luck. He’s owning it.
“I think it’s normal to be disappointed,” he said. “But I’ve got to do my part. My role here right now is to help whoever the quarterback is going to be for this team.”
That quarterback, at least for this week, is Ewers - a rookie who hasn’t taken a regular-season snap. And yet, Tua’s attitude hasn’t wavered. He’s embracing the mentor role, even if it’s not the one he envisioned when he signed that massive deal.
“I love this team. I love the guys on this team,” he said.
“I’ve created great relationships with these guys. But at the end of the day, it’s out of my control.”
What Comes Next?
That’s the question everyone in Miami - and around the league - is asking.
If Tua remains on the roster into next season, he’ll carry a $57 million cap hit. His 2026 salary is already guaranteed for $54 million, and another $3 million for 2027 becomes locked in if he’s still on the roster three days after the new league year begins in March.
But if the Dolphins decide to move on before then, the financial fallout is massive. Releasing him would leave Miami with a $99.2 million dead cap hit in 2026 - roughly one-third of the team’s projected cap space. There are mechanisms that could spread that impact across two seasons, reducing the 2026 hit to $67.4 million and pushing the remaining $31.8 million into 2027, but either way, it’s a costly decision.
Still, with his production declining and a young quarterback now getting a shot, the Dolphins are clearly evaluating their options.
A Time to Reflect
Despite the uncertainty, Tagovailoa is trying to find perspective.
“I think you have to look at it as a positive,” he said. “You can look at some of the things and learn from the negatives, but you’ve got to be able to take some of the positives from that, too. This is a good time for me to reflect on a lot of the things that have happened throughout the season.”
That reflection may soon turn into a reckoning - both for Tua and for a Dolphins front office that now has to decide whether to stay the course or reset at the most important position in football.
What’s clear is this: Sunday marks a turning point. Whether it’s the start of a new era or just a temporary detour, the Dolphins’ quarterback situation is no longer settled. And Tua Tagovailoa, once the face of the franchise, now finds himself watching from the sideline, unsure of what comes next.