Dolphins Consider Trading Tua
Miami Dolphins GM John Eric Sullivan signaled "Everything is on the table" regarding Tua Tagovailoa, including a potential trade. The team is actively evaluating options including 2023 college standout Quinn Ewers, free agents, and multiple draft picks, with Sullivan emphasizing the need for "competition in that room." Coach Jeff Halfley said the approach would focus on "disciplined, long-term vision and future."
- Tagovailoa is playing on his fifth-year option, which the Dolphins exercised in March 2023, guaranteeing him a salary of approximately $23.2 million for the 2024 season. He is slated to become an unrestricted free agent in 2025 if a contract extension is not reached. - His career has been marked by a significant injury history, including multiple documented concussions in the NFL and a dislocated hip during his college career at Alabama. In 2022, he missed the final two regular-season games and a playoff game while in the concussion protocol. - Despite health concerns, Tagovailoa led the NFL in passer rating (105.5) in 2022 and in passing yards (4,624) in 2023, earning his first Pro Bowl selection that season. However, his 2025 season saw a decline, where he led the league with 15 interceptions before being benched. - The Dolphins have struggled to find a long-term franchise quarterback since drafting Dan Marino in 1983. Prior first-round quarterback selections since Marino include Ryan Tannehill (2012) and Tagovailoa himself (2020). - Quinn Ewers, a rookie seventh-round pick from Texas, replaced Tagovailoa as the starter late in the 2025 season. In college, Ewers was the 2023 Big 12 Championship MVP and finished his career third in school history for passing yards (9,128) and touchdowns (68). - The 2025 free agent quarterback market includes names like Sam Darnold, who had a breakout 2024 season with the Vikings, and veterans Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.
