The Miami Dolphins announced Monday morning that they’re releasing quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, ending a six-year relationship that featured some exhilarating highs but some exasperating lows, and several significant injuries along the way.
Miami must pay Tagovailoa $54 million guaranteed this season, a figure that could be offset by a deal with a new team. If he signs a one-year, $1.3 million minimum deal with a new team, Miami would be required to pay him $52.7 million this season.
His release carries a post-June 1 designation, meaning he will count $67.4 million against the Dolphins’ salary cap in 2026 and $31.8 million in 2027. (There is also a way for the Dolphins to split the cap hits more evenly — $55.4 million in 2026 and $43.8 million in 2027, but it’s unclear if the Dolphins will pursue that option.)
Although Tagovailoa will become a free agent this week, his cap hit until June 2 will be $56 million — the same amount it would have been had he remained on the team this coming season. The cap hit for Tagovailoa will become $67.4 million on June 2.
The Dolphins’ regrettable July 2024 decision to give Tagovailoa a four-year, $212.4 million contract ended up costing them $99 million in dead money cap space and $125 million in cash — the amount that Tagovailoa pocketed from playing a single season under terms of that $212.4 million extension.
“To the Miami Dolphins organization, my teammates, the front office and the incredible fans — Thank you for six unforgettable years,” Tagovailoa wrote in statement posted to his Instagram. “From the moment I arrived, you believed in me, supported me, and embraced my family as your own. I was able to marry my wife and welcome both my kids to this world. I was able to fortunately allow them to experience life from one I never got to growing up. Wearing this jersey and representing this city has been one of the greatest joys of my life.”
General manager Jon-Eric Sullivan called the release part of “move in a new direction.”
“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” on Wednesday, Sullivan said in a 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. 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.”
Tagovailoa, 28, was benched for the Dolphins’ final three games and his return was always considered unlikely. Miami attempted to trade him but found no takers. The Atlanta Falcons are reportedly interested in the former franchise quarterback.
By releasing him before Friday, the Dolphins avoid paying him $3 million for 2027, a figure that would have become guaranteed on Friday. Miami eventually signed Green Bay free agent quarterback Malik Willis.
The proverbial nail in the coffin for Tagovailoa came in the first quarter of a “Monday Night Football” game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
With just more than eight minutes left in the quarter, Tagovailoa fired a pass to an open Jaylen Waddle. The ball wobbled in the air, seemingly unable to slice through the cold wind, and into the arms of Steelers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. It was his 15th interception, which tied for the AFC lead.
Tagovailoa would finish the game, throwing only six incompletions en route to 254 passing yards and two touchdowns. But then-coach Mike McDaniel informed him a day later that he would no longer be starting.
Tagovailoa closed his Dolphins career with a 44-32 record, 120 touchdowns and 59 interceptions. He led the league in passer rating in 2022 (105.5) and passing yards in 2023.
He finished as the franchise’s career leader in passer rating (96.4) and completion percentage (68) and ranked fourth in passing yards (18,166) and touchdowns, behind Dan Marino, Bob Griese and Ryan Tannehill in both of those categories.
He arrived with great fanfare. Playfully known as the “Tank for Tua” year, the Dolphins’ 5-11 2019 season landed the franchise the fifth overall pick.
Tagovailoa was considered one of the better quarterback prospects – even though he hip surgery had derailed his final year in Tuscaloosa. Despite the injury concerns, the Dolphins decided to draft Tagovailoa over Justin Herbert (No. 6) and Jordan Love (No. 26).
“I’m very grateful, and I’m honored that the fans think so [highly] of me,” Tagovailoa said of the “Tank for Tua” mantra in his first public comments as a Dolphin. “It’s a different ball game. What I did in college can’t translate to the NFL. It’s a clean slate. What I’ve got to do is I’ve got to go out there and earn my respect and earn the trust from my teammates.”
Early tension with Flores
Tagovailoa’s NFL career did not get off to a great start. He sat the first six games of the season behind Ryan Fitzpatrick, aside from a brief appearance to close out a 24-0 blowout of the New York Jets. But Tagovailoa replaced Fitzpatrick as the Dolphins’ starter in Week 8, after the team’s bye week.
He helped lead the Dolphins to a 28-17 upset over the Los Angeles Rams and its first-ranked defense, though he threw for just 93 yards that day. He would end his first season with a 6-3 record as a starter, missing one game with a thumb injury. Coach Brian Flores replaced Tagovailoa late in a Week 16 game at the Raiders, and Fitzpatrick led Miami to a comeback win that night.
Tensions began to rise in Year 2. In Week 2, Tagovailoa fractured his ribs and would spend the next three games on injured reserve. Flores reportedly wanted to bench Tagovailoa and trade for Houston’s Deshaun Watson.
And despite being the first team in NFL history to lose seven straight games then win seven in a row, the tensions in the locker room would reach a boiling point after the Dolphins’ 34-3 loss to the Tennessee Titans that effectively eliminated them from the playoffs. Tagovailoa was famously upset with the way Flores spoke to him.
In the offseason, a decision needed to be made. Should the Dolphins stick with Flores or side with Tagovailoa? Miami ultimately picked the quarterback and parted with Flores. Tagovailoa would later call his former coach a “terrible person.”
“If you woke up every morning and I told you that you suck at what you did, that you don’t belong doing what you do, that you shouldn’t be here, that this guy should be here, that you haven’t earned this,” Tagovailoa said during an Aug. 2024 episode of “The Dan LeBatard Show with Stugotz.” He later added his time with Flores damaged his confidence. “If you have a terrible person that’s telling you things you don’t want to hear or that you probably shouldn’t be hearing, you’re going to start to believe that about yourself.”
A series of concussions
The Dolphins then hired Mike McDaniel, a bright offensive mind who could potentially unlock the franchise quarterback. Throw in the offseason acquisitions of receiver Tyreek Hill and tackle Terron Armstead, and the future appeared as bright as a South Florida summer sun.
“Tua is one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the NFL, so just his ball placement, getting us the ball in space, perfect placement and us just utilizing our speed, utilizing our best asset,” Hill said in March 2022. “And that’s just being dangerous.”
The McDaniel era began with a bang. Tagovailoa led the Dolphins to three straight victories, two of which came against the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills, respectively, as the quarterback would complete 71% of his throws for 925 yards, eight touchdowns and just two interceptions in those Week 2 and 3 wins in 2022.
But in the second quarter of a Week 4 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Tagovailoa sustained the first of his three NFL concussions when defensive tackle Josh Tupou slammed him on his head. The then-23-year-old was subsequently removed on a stretcher and would miss the following two games. Tagovailoa would return in Week 7 and went 5-4 during his next nine starts.
A third significant hit to his head occurred later that season, in the second quarter of the eventual 26-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers in which Tagovailoa went face-first into the turf. He would later be diagnosed with a concussion and miss the final three games of the season, including a 34-31 loss to the Bills in a wild card playoff game.
Despite the head injuries. Tagovailoa thrived in McDaniel’s offense. The Dolphins quarterback even led the league in several categories including passer rating (105.5), yards per attempt (8.9) and touchdown percentage (6.3).
McDaniel’s second year was the pinnacle of Tagovailoa’s six years in Miami. Not only did he lead the league’s most prolific offense, he completed the first 17-game season of his career and earned a Pro Bowl nod as a result of the Dolphins’ 11-6 finish. He also set career highs in passing touchdowns and completions and led the league in passing yards.
Still, the Dolphins would lose a 26-7 postseason contest to the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in one of the coldest games in NFL history.
With McDaniel only the third coach in franchise history to make the playoffs in his first two years, expectations were even higher in 2024. Fresh off his Pro Bowl season, however, Tagovailoa wanted to get paid, just as Trevor Lawrence had months earlier.
Tagovailoa would sit out for most of the offseason. Eventually, the Dolphins rewarded him with a four-year, $212.4 million extension. It didn’t take long for Miami to have buyer’s remorse; by Week 3, he had sustained a third concussion after diving headfirst into the abdomen of Bills safety Damar Hamlin. Tagovailoa would spend the following five weeks on injured reserve and the Dolphins went 1-3 during that stretch.
As questions about his NFL future began to swirl, he appeared indignant.
“I love this game and I love it to the death of me,” Tagovailoa said in Oct. 2024, visibly annoyed that “this is only becoming a thing just because of what ended up happening two years ago.”
Added Tagovailoa: “Every time we all suit up, we’re all taking a risk that we could potentially get hurt, whether it’s a concussion, a broken bone, anything. You get up off of the bed the wrong way, you potentially could risk you spraining your ankle. There’s just risk in any and everything, and I’m willing to play the odds, that’s it.”
‘He needs to know how to protect himself’
The Dolphins would go 5-4 upon his return to the lineup before two Houston Texan defenders sandwiched Tagovailoa, injuring his surgically repaired hip. Although he finished the game, throwing three picks along the way, he would miss the final two games of the season, and the Dolphins missed for the playoffs for the first time under McDaniel.
Tagovailoa’s lack of availability became an even greater talking point; two days after the season, then-general manager Chris Grier delivered a message that looked prescient in hindsight.
“To see where he’s come from, from his early time here was impressive,” Grier said in January 2025. “That being said, he needs to be available. He needs to know how to protect himself. You’re going to get hit at times, it’s always going to happen, but he needs to control what he can control. He understands that. Not being available for taking chances and risk is unacceptable to us.”
Those words seemingly caused Tagovailoa to play timid in 2025. From the very beginning of the season, he looked different. His completion percentage dipped. His turnovers skyrocketed. And, worst of all, his team couldn’t win, opening the season 1-6.
For most of the season, McDaniel was patient with Tagovailoa. That patience ended with the 28-15 loss to the Steelers when McDaniel opted for a quarterback change.
“The decision is complicated but simple; the simple piece is I think Quinn gives this team the best chance to win,” McDaniel said at the time.
Tagovailoa was dropped to third on the depth chart, behind rookie Quinn Ewers and Zach Wilson. Tagovailoa expressed disappointment, but Ewers praised the benched QB for helping him late in the season.
Asked the day after the season if he would like a fresh start elsewhere, Tagovailoa said: “That would be dope.”
Those would be his final comments as a Dolphin before Monday’s announcement.
This story was originally published March 9, 2026 at 8:36 AM.
C. Isaiah Smalls II
Miami Herald
C. Isaiah Smalls II is a sports and culture writer who covers the Miami Dolphins. In his previous capacity at the Miami Herald, he was the race and culture reporter who created The 44 Percent, a newsletter dedicated to the Black men who voted to incorporate the city of Miami. A graduate of both Morehouse College and Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, Smalls previously worked for ESPN’s Andscape.
