After suffering a disappointing loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, the Miami Dolphins were officially eliminated from the playoff race. Following the defeat, head coach Mike McDaniel also decided to bench quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for the rest of the season.
While rookie QB Quinn Ewers is now set to start in the remaining three games, many are wondering about Tagovailoa’s future, and an NFL insider recently shared his thoughts on it.
Ian Rapoport Addresses Tua Tagovailoa’s Future
Tagovailoa was once predicted to be the future of the Dolphins. In 2023, he earned a Pro Bowl selection and led the team to the playoffs. However, last year, due to injury, he played only 11 games, and his performance wasn’t that impressive.
The ongoing Dolphins campaign also isn’t something the QB could be very proud of. So far, he has played 14 games and has thrown for 2,660 yards with 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, currently ranking No. 25 on PFSN’s QB Impact with a 72.1 score.
This season has been rough for the Dolphins, and while it’s true that Tagovailoa shares responsibility, so do head coach McDaniel and the rest of the squad. However, while Tagovailoa is likely to be released by the team, McDaniel is expected to stay with the Dolphins, something NFL Network’s Rapoport recently discussed.
Rapoport reported on Sunday that McDaniel will likely remain with the team, linking it to his strong relationship with team owner Stephen Ross, hinting at a bit of partiality.
“Our understanding is that McDaniel, barring some sort of surprise, is expected back next season,” Rapoport said. “This is someone who does have the support of owner Stephen Ross, remember he extended him. The two are close. The Dolphins organization does want McDaniel to succeed and believes that he can do it.”
From @NFLGameDay: #Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel is likely to be back in 2026, though Tua Tagovailoa is not. Where does it stand for Miami? pic.twitter.com/H7dxWxc6gQ
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 21, 2025
However, the same support isn’t expected for quarterback Tagovailoa, who was benched following the Week 15 defeat and is being discussed as someone who may have to part ways with the team in 2026.
Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212.4 million deal with the Dolphins in the summer of 2024. Referencing the Broncos–Russell Wilson case, Rapoport believes the Dolphins could similarly try to save money by ending ties with the QB.
“It is the expectation that Tua has played his final down with the Miami Dolphins. So the options for how they would move on: they could simply cut him and eat $99 million of dead cap over the next two seasons like the Broncos did with Russell Wilson, they could try to trade him and eat some of that money, that is their preferred option and maybe the most likely, they could keep him as a highly paid likely, although I’d say that is unlikely,” said Rapoport.
It will be interesting to see whether Tagovailoa stays with the Dolphins or not. However, in the remaining three games before Miami wraps up its campaign, Ewers will have the chance to show his potential.
