MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Miami Dolphins have decided to part ways with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, ending his six-season tenure with the franchise.
The organization announced Monday that Tagovailoa, who has served as the team’s main signal-caller for the past five and a half years, will be cut from the roster. This decision comes fewer than 24 months after the quarterback inked a massive $212 million contract extension with Miami.
The release will create an unprecedented $99 million dead money penalty against the salary cap, setting a new NFL record. Despite this enormous financial burden, Miami’s front office believes this represents their best option moving forward.
“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,” stated Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan in an official team announcement.
The new league year begins Wednesday afternoon. Should Miami designate this as a post-June 1 cut, they can spread the $99 million penalty across two seasons, with roughly two-thirds counting against this year’s cap and the remainder hitting in 2027.
“As I shared with Tua, I have great respect for the person and player he is,” Sullivan continued. “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.”
This decision represents another major change in what has been a transformative offseason for the Dolphins organization.
Both Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley are newcomers to their roles, while established stars including wide receiver Tyreek Hill and edge rusher Bradley Chubb will not return to the team. The quarterback situation remained the most pressing uncertainty, with questions swirling about whether Tagovailoa would receive another opportunity.
Monday’s announcement provided that answer, though signs had been pointing in this direction for some time.
Many observers anticipated either a trade or release following Tagovailoa’s benching late last season due to subpar performance under former head coach Mike McDaniel. The 2020 fifth overall draft pick expressed his displeasure with the demotion at the time and voiced uncertainty about his franchise future.
Miami promoted rookie Quinn Ewers to the starting role during the final three games of the season, effectively signaling the end of Tagovailoa’s six-year stint with the organization. The 28-year-old quarterback, who celebrated his birthday earlier this month, posted league-leading passing yardage in 2023 along with a personal-best 29 touchdown passes, but failed to maintain that elite level of play.
Last season saw Tagovailoa throw a career-worst 15 interceptions while completing just 67.7% of his passes — his lowest accuracy rate since his rookie campaign.
“I would say the biggest thing, and it’s being honest with myself as well, had been my performance,” Tagovailoa acknowledged following his benching. “I haven’t been performing up to the level and the capabilities that I have in the past.”
The financial penalty surpasses the previous record of $85 million that the Denver Broncos absorbed when they released Russell Wilson in 2024.
Miami selected Tagovailoa with hopes he would become their long-term franchise quarterback following his championship-winning collegiate career at Alabama.
However, the young quarterback faced difficulties during his initial two seasons under former Miami head coach Brian Flores, experiencing multiple benchings as a rookie. This led to persistent speculation about whether the Dolphins — who hold the NFL’s longest active playoff victory drought at 25 years — would commit to Tagovailoa long-term.
The organization dismissed Flores and brought in McDaniel for the 2022 campaign. McDaniel worked closely with Tagovailoa and publicly backed him throughout the coach’s four-year tenure in Miami.
With McDaniel’s departure and new leadership in place, Miami has apparently determined now is the appropriate time to begin fresh at the quarterback position once again.
