Anonymous Executive Criticizes Dolphins’ Handling of Quarterback Moves

Anonymous Executive Criticizes Dolphins’ Handling of Quarterback Moves

The Miami Dolphins opted to spread quarterback Tua Tagovailoa‘s cap hit of nearly $100 million over the next two seasons instead of eating the entire amount in 2026 when they released him, and one unnamed executive thinks that was the wrong move.

An anonymous NFL exec told The Athletic’s Mike Sando recently that Miami should have “taken the full Tua cap charge in one season” instead and not signed signal-caller Malik Willis to such a lucrative contract to replace Tagovailoa.

“They should not have signed Malik Willis,” the executive said. “They should have taken the full Tua cap charge in one season. They should have gone with Quinn Ewers and just played out the season.”

Not long at all after the Dolphins released their starting quarterback of the last six seasons, he agreed to a one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons. The fact that Tagovailoa found a new home so quickly only raised more eyebrows about how Miami handled moving on from the former first-round pick.

Not only did the Dolphins fumble their handling of Tagovailoa, but one can argue that the acquisition of Willis puts them in the unenviable position of being not bad enough to secure a top pick but also not good enough to compete for a playoff spot next season.

If they heeded the executive’s advice, never signed Willis and rolled with Ewers as their quarterback in 2026, that would have allowed the youngster to get some valuable experience under his belt as well.

For as promising of a quarterback as Willis is, at more than $20 annually, there are still question marks about whether he has what it takes to be a full-time starter at the highest level.

After all, his experience leading an NFL offense as a starter is incredibly limited. Across his first four pro seasons, he logged just six starts, including merely one in all of the 2025 season for the Green Bay Packers.

There’s a real possibility that the Dolphins botching the Tagovailoa release and their decision to take a flier on Willis will backfire, but hopefully they won’t.