The Miami Dolphins' reset has evolved into a full-blown rebuild. The teamannounced Mondaythat it will release veteran quarterback Tua Tagovailoa after the start of the new league year.
Tagovailoa also might not be on the market for long: The Atlanta Falcons are making a push to sign him after he is officially released on Wednesday, and a deal could come together quickly, NFL Network reported.
In Atlanta, Tagovailoa would compete with fellow lefty Michael Penix Jr., the team's incumbent starter,who is recovering from a partially torn ACL that required season-ending surgery last year. The Falcons transitioned this offseason toa new leadership structure that includes Kevin Stefanski as head coach.
By cutting Tagovailoa, Miami will absorb an NFL-record $99.2 million in dead money,according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
As I shared with Tua, I have great respect for the person and player he is," first-year Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said in a statement. "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.
"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 toward building a sustained winner."
The Dolphins are reportedly releasing Tagovailoa with a post-June 1 designation, meaning the the team can divvy up that record dead cap hit: $67.4 million in 2026 and $31.8 million in 2027,per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
Miami still owes Tagovailoa $54 million in guaranteed money this coming season, opening the door to him playing for another team on a minimum deal.
For Tagovailoa, the release offers him a fresh start as his career in Miami had been filled with adversity due to a series of concussions.
Itwas once again in question during the 2024 seasonwhen he suffered a fourth concussion in five seasons. During the 2025 season, his eventual split with the Miami Dolphins became inevitable when Mike McDaniel — who committed to Tagovailoa as the Dolphins' quarterback of the future throughout most of his four-season head-coaching stay —benched the 2020 No. 5 overall pick.
That decision foreshadowed an offseason of change, which picked up speed with McDaniel's firing and continued with the hiring of Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley as his replacement.
The Dolphins have a new leadership structure in place, which pairs Hafley with Sullivan, a former Packers executive, and they've cleaned house.
In addition to fostering a mostly new staff, they've expunged the roster of some of its biggest names. Miamicut two-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Bradley Chubband, even more notably, eight-time Pro Bowl wide receiverTyreek Hill, who is recovering from a dislocated knee and torn ACL.
The Dolphins also let go of guard James Daniels, whom they had signed to a three-year, $24 million deal less than a year earlier.
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Now the organization has officially said goodbye to Tagovailoa, too. That separation, however, is the least bit surprising, considering it's practically been written on the wallsince his mid-December benching.
Tagovailoa, 28, scattered 15 picks across 14 starts this past season. When he lost his job to seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers, he was leading the NFL in interceptions. Tagovailoa went four straight outings from Weeks 10-13 without registering more than 173 passing yards in a game.
In Weeks 6 and 7, he tossed three interceptions in back-to-back games.
After the first of those two performances, Tagovailoacalled outteammates for showing up late and not showing up at all to players-only meetings during their 1-5 start to the season.While he soon apologized for his postgame comments, they were a stain on an increasingly head-scratching 2025 résumé that warranted skepticism about his viability as a long-term starting quarterback in the league.
Tagovailoa's concussion history is concerning as well.
Following a concussion that the one-time Alabama national champion sustainedduring a "Thursday Night Football" defeat to the Buffalo Bills in Week 2 of the 2024 season, he consulted neurologists about the risks of continuing his football career.
He ultimately decided to carry on, just as he did in the wake of a 2022 campaign that saw him land in the league's concussion protocol twice. Back then, he was also knocked out with a scary head injury on "Thursday Night Football," that time against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Tagovailoa has played a full slate of regular-season games just once in his six-season career. That was in 2023 when he threw for a league-high 4,624 yards and made his lone Pro Bowl.
The season prior, he led the NFL in passer rating (105.5) and touchdown percentage (6.3%), albeit in only 13 games because of the aforementioned injuries.
And then in 2024, he was first among all qualifying quarterbacks with a 72.9% completion percentage, yet he played in just 11 games that season.
When he's healthy and on the field, Tagovailoa is capable of putting up impressive numbers. Plus, he's fueled two playoff trips. But McDaniel's quarterback-friendly system and a receiving corps laced with speed undoubtedly gave Tagovailoa a boost. His arm strength deficiencies are well-documented, after all.
Timing and rhythm are his friends. A similar offensive scheme and improved decision-making could help him rediscover the success he's enjoyed in the NFL.
