The Miami Dolphins‘ mess of a 2025 campaign continued in Week 9, as they were blown out by the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday Night Football and promptly parted ways with general manager Chris Grier. With a new regime taking over the front office, the team quickly needs to figure out how it will attack the upcoming trade deadline.
Despite the team’s struggles, there are several players on the Dolphins’ roster who are viewed as enticing trade targets. One guy whose future with the team could come to a shockingly quick end is quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, and with the deadline just two days away, a major update on his status has recently emerged.
What Are Dolphins Planning to do with Tua Tagovailoa?
A lot of things have gone wrong for the Dolphins this season, but Tagovailoa’s play under center has been one of the biggest issues of the bunch. While he’s managed to stay healthy and suit up for all nine of the team’s games, his numbers aren’t good. Tagovailoa has 1,779 yards and 15 touchdowns, but he’s also thrown 11 interceptions, which is the highest figure in the league.
Considering how Tagovailoa was a Pro Bowler just two seasons ago, his fall from grace has been stunning. Injuries certainly haven’t helped, but Tagovailoa has looked completely uncomfortable under center for the Dolphins this season. He’s become extremely easy to read, and when his first option isn’t open, he panics.
The problem is that moving on from Tagovailoa isn’t going to be easy for Miami. In July 2024, Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension that now makes trading him very difficult. Tagovailoa won’t get moved ahead of the deadline, but it could be an avenue the front office considers taking this upcoming offseason.
“If the Dolphins release Tagovailoa this offseason — and a release before June 1 is basically impossible because the Dolphins owe him a fully guaranteed $54 million — it would set a new record cap hit of $99.2 million … A trade pre-June 1 would leave $45.2 million of dead money against the Dolphins’ salary cap,” Ian Rapoport wrote for NFL.com.
“Another option, which seems more viable, is pay down some of the salary next offseason and trade him as a bridge QB for a team in transition or one that has a young QB they’d like to have sit. Would a team pay a portion of Tagovailoa’s salary to have a bridge starter? Likely, they would. This is what the Dolphins offseason, in part, will be about.”
What Should the Dolphins Do with Tua Tagovailoa?
GettyMiami Dolphins quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, looking to pass against the Atlanta Falcons on October 26, 2025.
The Dolphins are stuck between a rock and a hard place with Tagovailoa currently. They are paying him an obscene amount of money, but he has been one of the worst quarterbacks in the league this season. As outlined above, getting out of his deal is going to be costly one way or another, but it seems like this is going to be his final season with Miami based on how the season is unfolding.
If a team is willing to trade for Tagovailoa, the Dolphins would be foolish to turn them down, even if it requires them to eat a large portion of his contract. Miami’s roster needs a full reset, and at this point, it doesn’t seem like Tagovailoa is the team’s quarterback of the future. For now, he will continue playing out the string this season, with the team turning its attention to its Week 10 matchup with the Buffalo Bills.
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