In a move that many were expecting, it is reported that the Dolphins plan to release quarterback Tua Tagovailoa at the start of the new league year, which is Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The post-June 1st designation allows Miami to split the record setting $99.2 million in dead money they owe him into two seasons. The Dolphins will get hit with a dead cap of $67.4 million in 2026 and $31.8 million in 2027.
It seemed pretty obvious that this decision was coming throughout the season but once the Dolphins decided to bench Tua for rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers in the final three regular season games of the year, the writing was on the wall for the six-year veteran. This decision by the Dolphins has been one of what seems to be a total rebuild for the Dolphins after they have already cut star wide receiver Tyreek Hill, premier pass rusher Bradley Chubb, offensive lineman James Daniels, and wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine last month after the Super Bowl.
Tua’s best season for the Dolphins came in 2024 when he threw for 4,624 yards, 29 touchdowns and a completion percentage of 69% which secured him a record-setting contract extension for the Dolphins franchise. Now the Dolphins are releasing Tua who is just one season removed from that massive extension and will be living with this decision through dead money in their salary cap for the next two seasons.
Tua in his final season with the Dolphins threw for 2,660 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions with a quarterback rating of 37.5 in only 14 games played.
While Tua might be sad to be hitting the free agent market, he will still be getting a lot of guaranteed money and now reports are coming in that the Atlanta Falcons are keen on signing him once he is officially released by Miami.
The Falcons seem to be trying to cover their bases at the quarterback position after seeing Michael Penix Jr tear his ACL this past season and given how old Kirk Cousins is, the Falcons want to make sure they have a serviceable quarterback starting for them next season. Maybe Tua needs a change of scenery to find his groove again but if the Falcons are worried about the durability of Penix, the signing of Tua doesn’t seem to be a much better solution given the injury history Tagovailoa has accumulated in the past three seasons.
