Dolphins bench $212.4million QB Tagovailoa after elimination from playoff race
The Dolphins will turn to rookie Quinn Ewers after making the decision to bench their starting quarterback after his latest poor showing.
The Miami Dolphins have benched quarterback Tua Tagovailoa following their elimination from the playoff race.
Miami dropped to 6-8 on the season with a 28-15 defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday.
Tagovailoa’s performance was criticised, with the Dolphins receiving scant return on the investment they made in Tagovailoa’s services last year, when they handed him a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension.
And, with nothing riding on their remaining games, the Dolphins have turned the keys of the offense over to backup Quinn Ewers.
Dolphins bench Tua: What does it mean for QB’s future?
Tagovailoa’s benching will raise questions about his long-term future with the Dolphins.
Yet the financials of his contract mean he will likely remain with Miami for at least the 2026 season.
Were they to release Tagovailoa this offseason, the Dolphins would take on an NFL-record $90m in dead money. Any team wishing to acquire him in a trade would be on the hook for $54m guaranteed to him in 2026.
The Dolphins can get out of Tagovailoa’s contract in 2027, when they would be able to designate him as a post-June 1 release and save $40m against the cap while taking on $13m in dead money.
Should the Dolphins, projected as it stands to pick 11th in the 2026 NFL Draft, bring in competition by adding a top QB prospect or signing a potential starter in free agency this offseason, then the writing will be on the wall for a player they picked fifth overall in 2020.
Ewers, a seventh-round rookie out of Texas, will get his chance to impress on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. More daunting tests follow against the playoff-bound New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.