Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa plan gets new update

After the Miami Dolphins hired Jeff Hafley as the new head coach and Jon-Eric Sullivan as the new GM, the biggest question is about the future of Tua Tagovailoa.

During Sullivan’s introductory news conference, the new Dolphins GM insisted they had yet to have those conversations. The Dolphins could choose to trade or release the quarterback this offseason, but Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald reported on Thursday that the team’s preference would be to try to work out a trade.

While Jackson added that releasing Tagovailoa is an option, sources told him that the Dolphins would make “every attempt to trade” the signal-caller.

The Dolphins turned to Quinn Ewers at the end of the season, and all signs have been pointing to Tagovailoa’s time with Miami coming to an end in one way or another.

The big issue is the money tied up in Tagovailoa. The Dolphins signed him to a four-year, $212.1 million extension in July 2024.

Tagovailoa has a $56.4 million cap hit next season, and if Miami cuts him before June 1, it would result in a $99.2 million dead cap hit in 2026.

So, that will likely make things even more difficult in finding a trade partner, and the Dolphins might need to eat a large chunk of money just to move on from him this offseason.