New Tua Tagovailoa Trade Rumors After Tyreek Hill Cut as Dolphins Eye Savings on Contracts

The Miami Dolphins began transforming their roster on Monday, releasing a number of prominent players, including Tyreek Hill. Moving on from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa could be next on the agenda.

According to NFL reporter Jordan Schultz, "The Dolphins' preference has been to find a trade partner for Tagovailoa. A cut is possible in the end. But that has been their preference. My understanding is new regime doesn't want it to drag too long."

Miami already released Hill, Bradley Chubb, James Daniels and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine on Monday, clearing $56 million in salary cap space.

The reports about a pending divorce between Tagovailoa and the Dolphins don't come as much of a surprise.

"Miami is nearing a decision on what to do with [Tagovailoa's] future and his $54 million guaranteed," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported during Saturday's SportsCenter. "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, Hafley, Jon-Eric Sullivan."

Trading him would be ideal—Miami faces a massive $67.4 million dead cap hit for cutting him. But it's hard to imagine anybody taking on $54 million in guaranteed salary—or even less than that—for Tagovailoa after his rough 2025 season. The veteran quarterback threw for 2,660 yards, 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in 14 games, taking 30 sacks.

Since his Pro Bowl season in 2023, Tagovailoa has regressed significantly. Injuries haven't helped, as concussion issues at one point seemed potentially career-threatening. But at this point, the Dolphins are ready to make a change and Tagovailoa could probably use a change in scenery.

It just remains to be seen whether that will come via trade or release. The latter is a pretty safe bet.