MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Dolphins will release quarterback Tua Tagovailoa after the start of the new league year in a move that will leave Miami with an NFL-record $99 million in dead money against the salary cap.
The Dolphins announced their intention to release Tagovailoa in a statement Monday. A source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Tagovailoa’s release will be designated post-June 1, allowing the Dolphins to split the dead money over two years.
“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,” Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said in the team’s statement.
The post-June 1 designation will leave the Dolphins with a $67.4 million dead hit against the salary cap in 2026, followed by $31.8 million in 2027. The move ends Tagovailoa’s six seasons in Miami only one year into the franchise-record extension he signed in 2024.
“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,” Sullivan said.
“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.”
Tagovailoa’s future in Miami was under public scrutiny for months after he was benched for the final three games of the 2025 season. Sullivan said at the NFL scouting combine that “everything is on the table” with the former first-round draft pick, including a trade.
A trade never materialized, however, leading to Tagovailoa’s release. His departure leaves the Dolphins with Quinn Ewers, a seventh-round pick in 2025, as the most experienced returning quarterback on the roster.
Sullivan said the Dolphins will likely draft a quarterback in this year’s draft, and possibly add another in free agency — although he doesn’t expect to be “big spenders” as the team rebuilds its roster.
The Dolphins drafted Tagovailoa with the fifth overall selection in 2020 after a prolific career at Alabama. He became their full-time starting quarterback in 2021, throwing for 2,653 yards and 16 touchdowns against 10 interceptions.
Tagovailoa broke out in 2022, his first with coach Mike McDaniel, throwing for 3,548 yards and 25 touchdowns while driving a Dolphins attack that finished sixth in total offense. However, he missed four games after suffering two documented concussions, and a third hit to the head that led the NFL to alter its reporting process for concussions.
Tagovailoa led the NFL in passing yards in 2023 with 4,624 and set a career-high with 29 touchdown passes; he played all 18 of Miami’s games, including an AFC wild-card loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. That offseason, he signed a four-year, $212.4 million extension with the Dolphins that made him the highest-paid player in franchise history.
Tagovailoa led the league in completion percentage in 2024 but missed a career-high six games with a concussion and a late-season hip injury. His play was inconsistent throughout the season, and that trend continued into 2025, when he was ultimately benched for the final three games after throwing a career-high 15 interceptions.