As the NFL calendar barrels toward the start of the new league year on March 11, one of the most pressing storylines in Miami is what the Dolphins are going to do with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. The team faces a pivotal decision - and from the sound of it, they’re deep in the process of figuring out how this next chapter unfolds.
At a fan event on Thursday night, Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and new head coach Jeff Hafley pulled back the curtain a bit on the team’s quarterback situation. Sullivan didn’t shy away from the topic. In fact, he leaned into it, offering a candid look at where things stand with Tua - and where they might be going.
“Of course, we’ll be looking at other quarterbacks in this draft,” Sullivan said, drawing applause from the crowd. “And every draft hereafter.”
That line alone tells you a lot. The Dolphins aren’t just dabbling in QB scouting - they’re making it clear that competition is coming to the quarterback room, no matter who’s in it.
Sullivan went on to describe a recent meeting with Tagovailoa, calling it a “great conversation” and acknowledging the quarterback’s contributions to the franchise. “Tua has been a very good player in this league,” he said.
“He’s done a lot of really good things for the Miami Dolphins. You guys should be proud to have him and having had him.”
But then came the pivot - the kind of frank transparency that usually signals change is in the air.
“I don’t know what the future holds right now, and I told Tua that,” Sullivan continued. “We’re working through some things… We’re gonna infuse competition into that room, whether Tua is part of the room, whether he’s not part of the room.”
That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement for a franchise quarterback. It’s more like a soft landing before a hard decision.
Sullivan emphasized that Tagovailoa is in the loop and will be the first to know when the team makes its call. Until then, the Dolphins are keeping their cards close - but the direction seems clear.
Coach Hafley, standing alongside Sullivan, didn’t feel the need to add much. “Yeah, I don’t think I need to add anything,” he said. That silence spoke volumes.
Now, here’s the reality Miami is facing: Tagovailoa is owed $54 million in 2026 - fully guaranteed. That’s the kind of financial commitment that can’t be brushed aside.
Cutting him would trigger a massive $99 million cap hit, likely spread over two seasons. That’s a tough pill for any team to swallow, especially one trying to build under a new regime.
A trade? Technically possible, but it wouldn’t come cheap.
The Dolphins would almost certainly have to eat a significant chunk of that guaranteed salary to make a deal palatable for another team. Think Brock Osweiler-to-Cleveland type of scenario - where a draft pick is packaged just to offload the contract.
Of course, there’s always the option to keep him. They have to pay him, after all - but they don’t have to play him.
That’s a tricky dynamic, especially with a new front office and coaching staff looking to establish their own identity. Benching a high-paid quarterback with a history of solid - though inconsistent - play would be a bold move, and one that could create tension in the locker room and beyond.
In the end, this feels less like a true quarterback competition and more like an organizational reset. The Dolphins seem to be working through not if they’re moving on from Tua, but how they can make it happen - financially, logistically, and with as little turbulence as possible.
For now, the decision hasn’t been finalized. But the writing’s on the wall. The Dolphins are preparing to turn the page, and the next few weeks could define not just the future of their quarterback position, but the trajectory of the franchise as a whole.