Did Tua Tagovailoa just hint at a Dolphins departure?
The Dolphins star’s recent comments has sent fans into a tailspin.
Welcome, 2026. Here’s to a quiet year, without shocks or surprises. What’s that? Trump has kidnapped the leader of Venezuela, and now Tua might be leaving the Dolphins? I won’t mention the Raiders...
Tua Tagovailoa’s future in professional football is at a crossroads. After a turbulent 2025 season with the Miami Dolphins, the 27-year-old quarterback shot his name into the sport headlines this week by revealing that he is more than open to the idea of playing for another team in 2026.
Tagovailoa’s season with Miami ended on an unexpected note. Once looked upon as the franchise cornerstone, he was benched late in the year in favour of rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers after a run of wobbly performances. Following being dropped, Tua spent the team’s final games as an inactive emergency option.
On Monday, during the Dolphins’ locker room cleanout, Tagovailoa was quizzed by the pesky media whether or not he could envision starting anew, where the wind blows through the grass and the lambs jump gayly through the flowers.
Asked if he is hoping for a fresh start, Tua said: "that would be dope. I would be good with it"... the 3 of us who asked him made sure he knew that we meant elsewhere. ...very politely declined to speak beyond
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) January 5, 2026
Tua “would be good” with change
“That would be dope,” he said. “I would be good with it.” That marked a notable shift from his earlier, more cautious remarks on his status with Miami.
Enter: mayhem. His comments have thrown gallons of fuel on the already bubbling fire beneath the cauldron of mystery: Tagovailoa’s Miami career might well be washed up. While he stopped short of definitively saying he won’t return to the Dolphins, he declined to confirm whether he had played his final game in teal and orange.
The financial backdrop may have something to do with his lack of a clear answer. Tua signed a lucrative four-year, $212.1m contract extension in July 2024, the most valuable in Dolphins history. Added to that, his 2026 cap hit exceeds $56m, and cutting him before June 1 would saddle Miami with nearly $100m in dead money against the salary cap.
Tua Tagovailoa when asked if he is hoping for a fresh start:
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) January 5, 2026
"That would be dope. I would be good with it."
As for his on-field game, injuries and unconvincing play severely diminished his on-field impact in 2025. Over 14 starts, he threw for 2,660 yards and 20 touchdowns against a career-high 15 interceptions, while failing to top 200 passing yards in eight games.
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