What began for the Miami Dolphins as a hopeful tank for Tua in 2019 when owner Stephen Ross agreed to and, indeed, encouraged the team to lose games to attain the top draft pick in the 2020 draft, came to end on Monday.
The Dolphins announced they have informed Tua Tagovailoa he will be released at the start of the new league year on Wednesday.
Tank forTuaeventually led in a termination of Tua after six seasons.
"As I shared with Tua, I have great respect for the person and player he is," new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said in a team statement. ""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 in Miami.
"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."
The Dolphins aren't going to be doing much sustained winning in 2026.
Secondly, the Tagovailoa performance and contract situation is a primary reason.
Dec 15, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Payton Wilson (41) sacks Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) in the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
Tagovailoa was drafted to be the Dolphins long-term answer at QB. And he looked like that at times, particularly in 2022 when he led the NFL in passer rating and in 2023 when he led the league with 4,622 yards.
But something funny (terrible, actually) happened to Tagovailoa after the 2024 season.
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