Why Dolphins are stuck with underperforming QB Tua Tagovailoa

Miami Dolphins fans who wanted to see more of rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers won't be getting that.

On Monday, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel confirmed he isn't benching starting QB Tua Tagovailoa, despite a dreadful showing in Week 7 against the Cleveland Browns. 

In a 31-6 road loss in Cleveland on Sunday, Tagovailoa completed 12-of-23 passes for 100 yards and tossed three interceptions. Late in the fourth quarter, Ewers replaced him, completing 5-of-8 passes for 53 yards. 

McDaniel benching Tagovailoa in favor of the seventh-round pick out of Texas amid a 1-6 start wouldn't be unwarranted. The coach implied he would consider it following the loss to the Browns. But the problem is he isn't in a position to do that.

Why the Dolphins are stuck with Tua Tagovailoa

In July 2024, one-time Pro Bowler Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212.4M contract extension with $167.1M guaranteed. It is now an albatross for the franchise. 

The deal doesn't run out of guaranteed salary until after the end of the 2026 season. Per Over The Cap, he's set to make $25.046M in guaranteed salary this season and $54M in 2026. Note, he's also owed a $15M option bonus within the first three days of the next league year, which starts in March 2026. That makes it nearly impossible for the Dolphins to get out of his contract. 

Over The Cap estimates cutting Tagovailoa with a pre-June 1 designation this upcoming offseason would incur a whopping $42.8M in dead money. Releasing him with a post-June 1 designation would still result in $11M in dead money for Miami. 

Trading him would save Miami cap space. However, no team wants an expensive, underperforming and injury-prone QB in Tagovailoa. Over his past two games, he has thrown six interceptions. As of Monday, he's tied with Las Vegas Raiders QB Geno Smith for the league lead in interceptions (10). 

The 2020 first-round pick has a lengthy injury history. In six seasons with the Dolphins, the former Alabama star has suffered four documented concussions, including one that sidelined him for six games last season. 

The Dolphins hired McDaniel in 2022 to salvage Tagovailoa's career. He must do that once again. It may be the only way he can save his job, espeically with no exit path for the struggling QB.