New Tua Tagovailoa Trade, Contract Rumors After Timeline for Decision Updated by Dolphins GM

The Miami Dolphins could make a decision about Tua Tagovailoa's future sooner than later.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported on the Saturday morning SportsCenter that Miami's new regime, led by general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley, is "nearing a decision" about Tagovailoa with an option bonus in his contract coming due:

"Miami is nearing a decision on what to do with his future and his $54 million guaranteed. So, the chances of somebody taking that on are very slim. I think that Miami would hope that they could swing a deal, or somebody would cover a little bit of that money, offset it a little bit and sort of hope for the best. But him returning and them restructuring his deal is still on the table, but it seems unlikely at this point. New regime, Malik Willis could be an option for them, he's a free agent, he has ties to the Green Bay regime, Jeff Hafley, Jon-Eric Sullivan."

The Dolphins haven't been shy about their interest in the quarterback market. Sullivan said at a Dolphins fan event on Thursday "we'll be looking at other quarterbacks in this draft."

Sullivan was also complimentary toward Tagovailoa, but added they are "getting close to a decision" about his future.

In addition to his $54 million guaranteed salary in 2026, Tagovailoa's deal has a $15 million option bonus that triggers between the first and third day of the new league year.

After being benched for the final three games last season, Tagovailoa's time with the Dolphins seems almost certain to end this offseason. The most-likely scenario will be that he gets released because his contract makes it difficult to envision another team adding his deal and giving up a draft asset.

Per NFL insider Jason La Canfora, rival general managers say there is no trade market for Tagovailoa.

One general manager told La Canfora that Tagovailoa's contract is "untradeable."

Tagovailoa had a strong two-season run from 2022 to '23, throwing for 8,172 yards, 54 touchdowns and a 67.4 completion percentage in 30 starts.

In the two years since that peak, though, Tagovailoa has thrown for just 5,527 yards, 39 touchdowns and 22 interceptions in 25 games.

The cost to move on from Tagovailoa will severely restrict what the Dolphins can do in the short-term future. They would take on a $67.4 million dead cap charge in 2026 if he is a post-June 1 release.

A trade would make things more bearable for the Dolphins since Tagovailoa would only have a $45.2 million dead cap hit in that scenario, but it doesn't appear as if that is a likely outcome for the team heading into their first year with Sullivan and Hafley running things.