Dolphins to release Tua Tagovailoa; Falcons bound to sign him

David Furones, South Florida Sun Sentinel on Mar 9, 2026

Published in Football

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The Tua Tagovailoa era for the Miami Dolphins is over.

The Dolphins are cutting their one-time franchise quarterback whom the team selected with the No. 5 pick of the 2020 draft and signed to a lucrative contract extension in 2024, the Dolphins announced Monday morning before free agency in the NFL kicked off at noon.

“I recently informed Tua and his representation that we are going to move in a new direction at the quarterback position and will be releasing him after the start of the new league year,” new Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said in a statement. “As I shared with Tua, I have great respect for the person and player he is. 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 release, which may become official at 4 p.m. ET Wednesday, signifies Sullivan couldn’t find a trade partner to offload Tagovailoa and his contract. He was set to make $54 million guaranteed in 2026. A league-record $99.2 million dead cap hit comes with the cut of Tagovailoa.

The move is designated as a post-June 1 release, according to a league source, so that cap hit is split over the next two seasons, with $67.4 million of the dead money going against the team in 2026.

The Dolphins made social media posts thanking Tagovailoa for his time with the franchise and created a video of his highlights in Miami. Tagovailoa posted a lengthy and heartfelt message thanking the Dolphins, his teammates, coaches, front office and fans.

Later Monday, the Atlanta Falcons emerged as Tagovailoa’s next landing spot once he is officially released. He plans to sign with Atlanta, according to multiple national reports, where he and fellow left-handed passer Michael Penix Jr. will vie for future quarterback snaps.

Since Tagovailoa was benched toward the end of the past season, it was expected Tagovailoa would not return. It was clear parting ways with Tagovailoa was part of Sullivan’s plan at the NFL scouting combine, when the new head man in charge of Miami’s roster said “everything’s on the table” regarding the left-handed quarterback.

With Tagovailoa coming off the roster, Green Bay Packers backup Malik Willis, who Miami agreed to a deal with Monday after the Tagovailoa news broke, rising second-year passer Quinn Ewers, who is under contract for 2026, and prospect Cam Miller, who was signed toward the end of the 2025 season while Champ Kelly was interim GM, are now the quarterbacks on the team for 2026.

Tagovailoa was benched for Ewers last December with three weeks remaining in the season. As players cleaned out their lockers at season’s end, Tagovailoa indicated he would welcome a fresh start elsewhere.

Tagovailoa played six seasons with the Dolphins. He is the franchise’s career leader in passer rating (96.4) and completion percentage (68) among quarterbacks with at least 200 attempts. He is fourth in passing yards (18,166) and touchdowns (120), behind Dan Marino, Bob Griese and Ryan Tannehill in both categories.

Tagovailoa’s professional career in Miami, after he was a college football star at Alabama, started inauspiciously, as he was largely doubted for his ability in the NFL.

After an uneven first two seasons under the tough coaching of Brian Flores, coach Mike McDaniel, who was fired after the 2025 season, can be credited for sparking a turnaround for him going into 2022.

Tagovailoa led the NFL in passer rating (105.5) and yards per attempt (8.9) in 2022, passing yards (4,624) in 2023 and completion percentage (72.9) in 2024.

Missing time suffering two documented concussions in 2022, Tagovailoa overcame the head injuries in 2023 and made his lone Pro Bowl appearance after a fully healthy season.

The injury concerns resurfaced in 2024, though, as he missed four games on injured reserve due to a concussion and then sat the final two games of the season with a hip ailment.

In 2025, it wasn’t injuries but performance. While healthy, he threw 15 interceptions in his 14 starts, which was up for the league lead until he was benched.

Earlier this offseason, Dolphins offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, promoted to that role by new coach Jeff Hafley from being senior passing game coordinator last season, said he feels we haven’t seen the last of Tagovailoa in the NFL.

“Absolutely I think Tua can, he can absolutely bounce back,” Slowik said Feb. 4. “I think that’s one of the great things about sports.”

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