Tua Tagovailoa is coming off arguably his worst overall season with the Miami Dolphins. The quarterback regressed across several statistical categories while missing the NFL Playoffs. Many around the league have suggested that the franchise may move on from him during the offseason, but his contract situation presents financial challenges.
Tua Tagovailoa’s Contract Creates Challenges Around His Potential Future With Dolphins
Tagovailoa signed a massive contract extension in 2024 worth $212.4 million across four additional seasons beyond his five-year rookie contract. His disastrous 2025 NFL season may be causing the franchise to regret this decision and make it costly for them to potentially consider moving on from him.
NFL insider Dan Graziano recently reported on the situation and explained the financial implications of a theoretical departure. He also compared it to a similar situation with another expensive quarterback just a couple of years ago.
“Keep in mind that the $99 million in dead money is roughly the same percentage of the cap that Russell Wilson’s $80 million was for the Broncos two years ago,” stated Graziano.
🗣️ @DanGrazianoESPN “Keep in mind that $99 million dead money (for cutting Tua Tagovailoa) is roughly the same percentage of the cap that Russell Wilson’s $80 million was two years ago for Denver”@TheSamAcho advocates for Quinn Ewers to start next season#PhinsUp #HookEm 🐬 pic.twitter.com/bnv8xO4ft4
— The List – Dolphins Podcast (@TheListFinsPod) February 11, 2026
The Denver Broncos faced a similar situation with Russell Wilson, but decided their best path to success was to cut him and take on the financial burden of around $80 million in dead cap. It ended up working out for them after drafting Bo Nix and making it to the playoffs in both seasons since then.
The Dolphins can theoretically take a similar path, though their $99 million in dead cap money would be even higher than the Broncos’ was. They could potentially use the same strategy to draft their next quarterback, but they also have other options on their roster.
They ended the 2025 season with rookie Quinn Ewers as their starter after falling mathematically out of postseason contention.
In two starts to end the year, he ranked as the weekly 13th and 20th quarterback in PFSN’s Impact Rankings for the position. For comparison, Tagovailoa finished the year ranked 27th among all quarterbacks in the season-long rankings.
This entire situation creates quite a dilemma for new head coach Jeff Hafley as he looks to get the Dolphins back on track. Keeping Tagovailoa may leave him with a declining quarterback, while releasing him would significantly reduce their cap flexibility to build out the rest of their roster. They could also try to trade him, but Graziano doubts that anyone would take on his contract without Miami paying it down anyway.
