The Miami Dolphins’ rebuild has turned into a full-blown rebuild. They announced on Monday that they will release veteran quarterback Tua Tagovailoa after the start of the new season.
Tagovailoa’s career was again in doubt during the 2024 season when he suffered another concussion, his fourth in five seasons. When Mike McDaniel benched the 2020 No. 5 overall pick during the 2025 season, his split with the Miami Dolphins became inevitable. Mike McDaniel has spent the better part of four seasons as head coach working to make Tagovailoa the Dolphins’ quarterback of the future.
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The decision heralds an offseason of change that has accelerated with the firing of McDaniel and the continued hiring of Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley as his replacement.
The Dolphins have instituted a new leadership structure in which Hafley is paired with former Packers executive and current general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, and they have cleaned house.
In addition to developing most of their new hires, they also dropped some big names from the roster. Miami cut two-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Bradley Chubb and, more notably, eight-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who is recovering from a dislocated knee and torn ACL.
The Dolphins also cut linebacker James Daniels, who signed a three-year, $24 million contract a year ago.
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Now the organization has officially said goodbye to Tagovailoa as well. This separation is the most surprising, however, as the writing has been all but written on the wall since he took office in mid-December.
Tagovailoa, 28, spread 15 draft picks in 14 starts last season. He led the NFL in interceptions when he lost to seventh-round pick Quinn Ewers. Tagovailoa went four straight games from Week 10 to Week 13 without passing for more than 173 yards in a game.
In Weeks 6 and 7, he had two interceptions in a row.
After the first of these two games, Tagovailoa criticized his teammates for being late and not participating in player-only meetings at all during the 1-5 start to the season. While he quickly apologized for his postgame remarks, they became a stain on an increasingly troubled resume in 2025, raising questions about his viability as the league’s long-term starting quarterback.
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Tagovailoa’s concussion history is also concerning.
After the former Alabama national champion suffered a concussion in a “Thursday Night Football” loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 2 of the 2024 season, he consulted a neurologist about the risks of continuing his football career.
He ultimately decided to continue playing, as he did after entering the league’s concussion protocol twice during the 2022 season. At that time, he was also sidelined with a horrific “Thursday Night Football” head injury against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Tagovailoa has played a full regular season game just once in his six-season career. That came in 2023, when he threw for a league-high 4,624 yards and made his only Pro Bowl.
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Last season, he led the NFL in passer rating (105.5) and touchdown percentage (6.3%) despite playing only 13 games due to the aforementioned injuries.
By 2024, he led qualifying quarterbacks with a completion rate of 72.9%, but he only played in 11 games that season.
=These marks are stacked together and are very impressive. Additionally, he powered two playoff trips. But McDaniel’s quarterback-friendly system and speedy receiving corps certainly gave Tagovailoa a boost. After all, his arm strength deficiencies are well documented.
Timing and rhythm are his friends. A similar offensive scheme and improved decision-making could help him rediscover the success he enjoyed in the NFL.
