How Tua Trade, Release Would Affect Dolphins' Salary Cap After Mike McDaniel Firing

Mike McDaniel's firing could have a major impact on the Miami Dolphins' salary cap if it leads to the franchise also parting ways with Tua Tagovailoa.

The Dolphins announced Thursday that McDaniel had been fired after four seasons as head coach.

Miami will now need to decide if Tagovailoa is returning for a seventh season with the franchise.

Tagovailoa already holds $54 million in guaranteed money for 2026, with another $3 million set to kick in on March 15, per Spotrac.

Cutting Tagovailoa from the roster ahead of June 1 would leave the Dolphins on the hook for $99.2 million in dead money for 2026, per Over the Cap.

Designating the quarterback as a post-June 1 cut would allow the Dolphins to split the dead money into $67.4 million in 2026 and $13.4 million in 2027, according to Over the Cap.

Trading Tagovailoa before June 1 would leave the Dolphins with $45.2 million in dead money for 2026, per Over the Cap.

His $56.4 million cap hit for next season, however, will likely limit his trade suitors unless Miami reworks his contract.

The Dolphins have already taken on the fifth-most dead money in the NFL next season with $35.5 million in old contracts taking up space on their cap sheet, per Over the Cap.

That will include charges of $20.9 million for Jalen Ramsey and $10.7 million for Terron Armstead, per Over the Cap.

Despite those restrictions, the Dolphins first signaled a potential willingness to move on from Tagovailoa when they benched him ahead of Week 16 in favor of rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers.

When asked after the end of the season if he was hoping for a fresh start with another team, Tagovailoa answered: "That would be dope. I would be good with it."

The Dolphins signed Tagovailoa to a four-year, $212.1 million extension ahead of the 2024 season. The deal has him signed through 2028, although there is a potential out after 2026, per Spotrac.

At the time of the contract, Tagovailoa was coming off a 2023 Pro Bowl campaign during which he led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards.

Tagovailoa has been unable to replicate that success since. Two straight years without a playoff berth have since led to the dismissal of both general manager Chris Grier, who signed Tagovailoa, and McDaniel, who reportedly supported the contract.

The Dolphins are reportedly interviewing four candidates for general manager, including interim GM Champ Kelly as well as Los Angeles Chargers assistant GM Chad Alexander, Green Bay Packers executive Jon-Eric Sullivan and San Francisco 49ers executive Josh Williams, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Whichever candidate ultimately gets the job could ultimately play a role not just in who succeeds McDaniel but also how the Dolphins handle Tagovailoa's contract.