March 9 (Reuters) – The Miami Dolphins said goodbye to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on Monday.
The team announced the release of the former first-round pick with a minute-long highlight video posted on social media with the accompanying caption, “Thanks for the memories, Tua.”
The team also issued a statement:
“I recently informed Tua and his representation that we are going to move in a new direction at the quarterback position and will be releasing him after the start of the new league year,” general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said in the statement. “As I shared with Tua, I have great respect for the person and player he is. On behalf of the Miami Dolphins, I expressed our gratitude for his many contributions, both on the field and in the community, during his six seasons in Miami.”
He will be released when the new league year begins Wednesday, but the move carries a post-June 1 designation — largely for accounting purposes.
It will be costly for the Dolphins. Miami is on the hook for $99.2 million in dead money, which is an NFL record. The dead money can be split over two seasons.
Reports emerged later Monday that the Dolphins’ new brain trust of Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley had already secured a replacement, reaching a deal with former Green Bay Packers backup quarterback Malik Willis.
Additional reports said there was a mutual interest between Tagovailoa and the Atlanta Falcons in a deal that could come together as early as Monday.
The Falcons parted ways with Kirk Cousins and are said to be looking for another veteran with starting experience to challenge signal-caller Michael Penix Jr., their 2024 first-round draft pick who is 6-11 as a starter.
The Dolphins drafted Tagovailoa with the No. 5 pick in 2020 with hopes he would be their quarterback for the long-term. He was the second QB off the board — the Cincinnati Bengals took Joe Burrow with the No. 1 pick — and was chosen ahead of Justin Herbert, who went to the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 6.
In 2023, Tagovailoa was selected to the Pro Bowl after leading Miami to an 11-6 record and throwing for an NFL-best 4,624 yards.
That was the only season of his career in which he has played every game, plagued by multiple concussions and other injuries, including to his hip.
Still, in July 2024, the Dolphins signed Tagovailoa to a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension that was set to run through the 2028 season.
He fell out of favor last season, and former coach Mike McDaniel benched him with three games to go in favor of rookie Quinn Ewers. Through the first 14 games, Tagovailoa led the Dolphins to a 6-8 record and had a career-high 15 interceptions against 20 touchdowns.
The Dolphins have two other QBs signed for the 2026 season — Ewers, a seventh-round pick from Texas, and fellow 2025 draft choice Cam Miller, taken in the sixth round by the Las Vegas Raiders. Miller was signed off of the Raiders’ practice squad in January.
In addition to the reported deal with Willis, the Dolphins have the No. 11 overall pick in the draft next month.
“As we move forward, we will be focused on infusing competition across the roster and establishing a strong foundation for this team as we work towards building a sustained winner,” Sullivan said in the team statement.
Tagovailoa’s career in Miami ends with 18,166 passing yards, 120 touchdowns, 59 interceptions and a 68% pass completion rate in 78 games (76 starts). He also ran for 473 yards and six touchdowns and finished with a 44-32 record as a starter.
–Field Level Media
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, editing by Ed Osmond)
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