After struggling his way through the 2025 season, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is hitting the bench.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel is moving on from the $212million signal caller and will be turning instead to rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Ewers will get the start this Sunday when the already eliminated Dolphins take on the Cincinnati Bengals.
The last straw appears to have been his Monday Night Football performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers which ended in a 28-15 defeat.
Tagovailoa completed 22-of-28 passes for 253 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
On Tuesday, McDaniel admitted that the quarterback play against the Steelers was not good enough.
The Miami Dolphins are benching starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa after a 6-8 start
Head coach Mike McDaniel hinted at a possible change at the position on Tuesday
Replacing Tagovailoa will be rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers – a seventh-round selection
When asked if there could be a change, McDaniel said at the time, ‘Everything is on the table.’
Now, the question of Tagovailoa’s future with the team comes to the forefront.
The 27-year-old Tagovailoa has suffered four concussions since becoming a starter in the league – including three in the 2022 season.
These repeated instances of head trauma led to many NFL coaches, analysts and doctors telling the quarterback to consider retirement.
This season, Tagovailoa has the fifth-least passing yards among quarterbacks who have started at least 13 games – tossing for only 2,660 yards.
While he has thrown for 20 touchdowns, he’s also tossed a league-worst 15 interceptions. Additionally, Tagovailoa has taken 30 sacks – the tenth-most of any quarterback in the league.
The decision to bench Tagovailoa may have repercussions throughout the team. Moments after the decision was leaked, Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill posted a ‘peace sign’ emoji and a GIF of a man throwing up two fingers before disappearing.
There will also be financial backlash if Tagovailoa has indeed played his final snap for the Dolphins only a season after he signed a four-year, $212million contract extension.
Tagovailoa leads the league in interceptions and is top ten in sacks taken across the NFL
Tagovailoa’s departure has appeared to negatively affect teammates, like Tyreek Hill
According to Schefter, Tagovailoa’s $54million contract in 2026 is already fully guaranteed. An additional $3m of his 2027 contract is also guaranteed as of March 15.
There’s also the option of cutting him. While axing him from the roster would leave $99million in dead money, a post-June 1 cut designation would split that up into $67.4m for 2026 and $31.8m for 2027.
Finally, there’s the option to just wait until the team’s potential out clause comes about in 2027. Releasing him then would only leave behind $34.8m in dead cap.
Tagovailoa was hailed as one of the best quarterback prospects of his generation coming out of college, being picked fifth overall by the Dolphins after an injury cut short his 2019 season at Alabama.
In his five NFL seasons, he’s earned one Pro Bowl nod and led the league in passer rating (2022), passing yards (2023) and completion percentage (2024) through his career.
However, he has only played in a single playoff game: a 26-7 loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in the 2023 season which went down as one of the coldest games in NFL history.
As for his replacement, Ewers was a seventh-round draft pick out of Texas. After a well-regarded college career, he fell down the draft board before being picked 231st overall. So far this season, he’s completed five passes for 53 yards.
