MIAMI GARDENS, FL – Dolphins defender Tua Tagovailoa is open to a “fresh start”, he told reporters on Monday after being left on the bench for the final three games of the season.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel replaces Tagovailoa with rookie Quinn Evers after the team lost to Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 15, saying the seventh-round pick gave Miami its best chance to win.
Tagovailoa spent the remaining three games as the team's inactive third quarterback. Speaking after McDaniel's decision on Dec. 17, Tagovailoa said he was “disappointed” but the decision was out of his control. He also declined to comment on whether he had played his final game for the Dolphins.
His tone changed while cleaning out the team's locker room on Monday when he was asked if he wanted a fresh start after the events of this season.
“That would be cool” He said. “I would love that.”
McDaniel said Monday that there will be a quarterback competition in 2026 and did not close the door on Evers starting next season.
McDaniel declined to speculate on what led to Tagovailoa's decline this season, but said he would meet with the quarterback early Tuesday morning to discuss the season and how they would like to move forward.
“I think a franchise quarterback has a lot on his shoulders, and ultimately I think it's my job to continually try to improve his game,” he said. “I don’t want to throw out a short-sighted headline or underestimate the number of layers it takes to play the quarterback position. What I do know is that for the first time, I have assessed whether he should be the team's starting quarterback. This was due to an inability to complete certain tasks.
“Does this mean it’s permanent for him in terms of being able to do what he’s done in the past? No, that's not true. Having your game and owning your game when it's at its peak is something we'll discuss. He will have a lot on his mind and will have to work to get back to where we are all used to seeing him. And I'll do my best to support that, and we'll see the rest.”
In July 2024, Tagovailoa signed a four-year extension worth $212.1 million, the richest contract in franchise history. But after missing a career-high six games in 2024 with hip and head injuries, he had a miserable season in 2025 before losing his job to Evers.
He threw for 2,660 yards and 20 touchdowns against a career-high 15 interceptions and recorded fewer than 200 passing yards eight times this season, after doing so only six times in McDaniel's three previous seasons.
Moving from Tagovailoa would be costly for Miami. His cap hit is $56.4 million in 2026, and cutting it before June 1 would push his cap to $99.2 million next season. Releasing it after June 1 would stretch this dead hit over two seasons, bringing it to $67.2 million in 2026.
The Dolphins could also try to trade the 2023 NFL passing yards leader, but they would have to find a team willing to take on his salary.
If he did take his final snap for the Dolphins, Tagovailoa would leave as the franchise's fourth-leading passer with 18,166 yards and 120 touchdowns. He also finished his time in Miami as the Dolphins' career leader in completion percentage among qualified passers at 68%.
