Tua Tagovailoa’s time with the Miami Dolphins appears to be nearing its end, with the team demoting him to the third-string quarterback role after a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football in Week 15. The move suggests Miami is protecting him from injury in order to explore a trade during the offseason.
What now appears to be a fractured relationship may have started much earlier. Reports indicate the Dolphins ultimately had to settle for selecting Tagovailoa, as the quarterback the franchise truly wanted, according to an insider, was a different name from that draft class.
Adam Schefter Reveals Dolphins Wanted Joe Burrow In the 2020 NFL Draft
A quarterback’s relationship with the franchise that drafted him must be carefully managed, particularly with the coaching staff. A mistake in evaluation or selecting a player who does not truly fit the system can lead to an inevitable breakup, and that appears to have been the case with Tagovailoa.
From the beginning, Tagovailoa never had a strong relationship with former head coach Brian Flores. Only with the arrival of Mike McDaniel did he manage to put together a strong NFL season in 2023, when he led the team to the playoffs while throwing 29 touchdowns. However, with ongoing availability and performance issues, 2025 is expected to be his final year in Miami.
According to insider Adam Schefter, Miami’s pick should have been different back in 2020, at least based on the team’s internal plans. Schefter reported that the Dolphins attempted to trade four first-round picks to the Cincinnati Bengals for the first overall selection in that draft to select quarterback Joe Burrow.
Based on Schefter’s sources, the Bengals never even engaged in negotiations, as they were already convinced Burrow was the right quarterback for the franchise, a belief later validated in his second season, when he led the team to the Super Bowl, falling short against the Los Angeles Rams.
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Things could have looked very different had Burrow landed in Miami and Tagovailoa gone to Cincinnati. It is impossible to know how the quarterbacks’ careers would have developed, and today it is fair to say that neither is guaranteed to remain with his team beyond 2026, as Burrow has grown frustrated with the Bengals.
Still, Burrow signed a five-year, $275 million contract with Cincinnati in 2023, a deal larger than the $212.4 million Miami gave Tagovailoa in 2024, both in average annual value and total money. In addition, Tagovailoa’s contract is shorter at four years and features most of the guarantees concentrated in the early seasons.
Tagovailoa is listed as the 25th-ranked quarterback in PFSN impact metrics and is having his worst season on the field, having lost the trust of McDaniel and the franchise. Whether through a trade or a release, he is expected to be on another team next season, and his status as a starter may not be guaranteed with his potential new team.
