Dolphins seemingly got Tua Tagovailoa reality check during combine

While speaking with reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine, new Miami Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan suggested he hadn't yet given up on his attempts to trade quarterback Tua Tagovailoa this offseason.

It sounds like Sullivan received some harsh news regarding those wishes while speaking with other club executives in Indianapolis.

Dolphins "will almost certainly" make this Tua Tagovailoa move

"The Dolphins continue to tell people that they've had trade talks with teams and haven't given up on trying to trade Tagovailoa, even though that would mean picking up a significant portion of his $54M in fully guaranteed 2026 salary," ESPN's Dan Graziano shared on Sunday. "But based on my conversations with other teams, I'm skeptical, and I expect Miami to release Tagovailoa by the third day of the league year (when $3M of his 2027 salary would become fully guaranteed). The Dolphins will almost certainly designate him as a post-June 1 release to help defray some of the $99.2M in dead money it will cost to release him."

A report from February revealed that the Dolphins could take the full $99.2M cap charge to part ways with Tagovailoa at some point after the new league year opens on March 11. Neither Sullivan nor new head coach Jeff Hafley was in his current role when Miami signed Tagovailoa to a four-year, $212.4M contract in the summer of 2024.

Tagovailoa was benched in favor of rookie Quinn Ewers late this past season, and numerous reports have hinted that the Dolphins view current Green Bay Packers backup Malik Willis as an upgrade at the position. That said, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated mentioned on Monday that Tagovailoa could have some say regarding how his Dolphins tenure comes to an end. 

Why Tua Tagovailoa may have "a little leverage" amid uncertain future

"This is where Tagovailoa might gain a little leverage," Breer explained. "He has a $3M guarantee for 2027 and another $17M in injury guarantees if he goes forward with the existing contract. A new team would inherit that, so the Dolphins and another team coming to an agreement on Miami paying down a percentage of the ’26 money could facilitate the front end of a trade, and the new team and Tagovailoa’s camp doing something for ’27 could facilitate the back end."

Breer added that "a draft pick coming back in the deal would be minimal," such as the Dolphins receiving a sixth-round pick in return for Tagovailoa. It remains to be seen just how much of Tagovailoa's deal Sullivan is willing to pay down to get even a low-value draft choice back for the 27-year-old who seemingly has no future with his current employer.