Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa when asked about getting a fresh start: 'That would be dope'
The Miami Dolphins appear to be done with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
The feeling sounds mutual.
A day after the conclusion of Miami's season, Tagovailoa was asked by reporters as he cleaned out his locker Monday how he would feel about getting a fresh start.
"That would be dope," Tagovailoa said, per multiple reporters on the scene. "I would be good with it."
Per the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson, Tagovailoa declined to speak further when asked to clarify if he understood if the question was about playing for another team.
The six-season tenure of Tagovailoa as Miami's starting quarterback appears to have reached its conclusion.
Tua's decline in 2025When healthy, Tagovailoa has been Miami's starter since Week 7 of his 2020 rookie season. Or he was, at least, until Week 16 of this season. Amid significant decline and arguably the worst season of his career, head coach Mike McDaniel benched Tagovailoa for the final three games of the regular season.
The Dolphins were fresh off a 28-15 defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers in which Tagovailoa threw multiple inaccurate passes, including an underthrown interception that tanked a Miami drive into Pittsburgh territory. The Monday night loss eliminated Miami from the playoffs, and McDaniel had seen enough.
Tagovailoa was out, and seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers was in. Ewers started Miami's final three games as Tagovailoa watched from the bench.
McDaniel told reporters Monday the team would meet with Tagovailoa on Tuesday morning to discuss his season and his future. He also said there will be a quarterback competition for the starting job next season. Who will be involved in that competition is unclear.
Parting with Tagovailoa wouldn't be easy. The Dolphins signed Tagovailoa to a four-year, $212 million extension to his rookie contract in 2024 following his first and only Pro Bowl campaign in 2023. He led the league in passing yardage that season and has also led the NFL in completion percentage, quarterback rating and yards per attempt in different seasons.
But he regressed in 2025 as his accuracy, efficiency and deep-ball accuracy declined. He averaged 190 passing yards per game after posting 260-plus yards in each of his previous three seasons. He threw 20 touchdowns and a career-high 15 interceptions.
He's entering the second year of his extension next season and will account for a $56.4 million salary cap hit. Trading Tagovailoa would require a team willing to take on his contract in return.
McDaniel's job appears to be safe despite the tumultuous season. But the search for a general manager goes on after the midseason dismissal of Chris Grier. Whoever takes Grier's place will have significant work to do to clean up the Tagovailoa mess if the QB is, indeed, done in Miami.