Tua Tagovailoa has now gone from leading the Alabama Crimson Tide to a 2018 CFB National Championship title after taking the starting spot from Jalen Hurts, to becoming a first-round pick, to now being benched by the Miami Dolphins in favor of seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers.
A major move in Miami: the Dolphins are benching QB Tua Tagovailoa and turning to Quinn Ewers as their new starting QB, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 17, 2025
Ewers’ first start comes Sunday vs. the Bengals. pic.twitter.com/lzs2J1EfjP
The Dolphins, who signed Tagovailoa to a four-year, $212 million contract in 2024, have a massive quarterback dillema on their hands.
Releasing him would bring an NFL-record $99M dead cap hit and no cap relief. Nevertheless, keeping him on the roster also makes no sense, so they could still possibly release him. Or, they could pull the Brock Osweiler move and trade him, along with draft picks, for cap relief.
And with the Atlanta Falcons possibly needing a spot starter at the position as Michael Penix Jr. recovers from his ACL injury, Tua could end up in Atlanta, which is a nightmare for every Dirty Birds fan.
Falcons fans are hoping Tua Tagovailoa doesn't end up in Atlanta
While it isn't a huge deal to go from a right-handed passer to a left-handed one, it makes it that much less of an adjustment if you keep two quarterbacks who throw from the same side. Penix Jr. throws with his left arm and Tua also throws with his left arm...
The Falcons will also be looking for a quarterback who can keep them in playoff contention through the first part of the season while their starter works his way back.Signing or taking on a big cap hit for Tua and some draft picks could be their solution. But, if it is, it is a terrible idea.
While he fits the mold of what this offense wants from its signal-caller, he has not been good. You could argue that even when he was at his peak, he was a product of Mike McDaniel's offense and Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle's excellence.
What we have seen from him this season has been bad. He has thrown for under 200 yards in eight games this year. He has thrown at least one interception in nine games, multiple in four games, and leads the NFL with 15 this year.
This season, he has averaged 190 yards per game with a 36.7 quarterback rating. As bad as Penix's season was made out to be, he still only threw three interceptions, averaged 220 yards per game, and had a 56.7 QBR.
The only upgrade Tua would bring is his 67.7% completion to Penix's 60.1%.However, a 7.6% completion increase is definitely not worth the 2.8% interception increase.
Hopefully, the front office would prioritize retaining Kirk Cousins over Tagovailoa. Bringing in the Dolphins quarterback would be the fastest way to lose even more fan support.