According to Ian Rapoport, it’s fair to say Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa‘s future in Miami is tied to HC Mike McDaniel.
Rapoport says McDaniel has been one of Tagovailoa’s biggest advocates in the organization, and if McDaniel stays in 2026, there’s a strong chance Tagovailoa will remain the starter.
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross will be making the call on McDaniel at the end of the season. Rapoport adds Ross likes McDaniel and does not want to fire him, but that will be incumbent on him not losing the locker room down the stretch.
Tagovailoa’s struggles have played a major role in Miami’s disappointing 3-7 start to the season, and he leads the league with 13 interceptions. That’s raised the possibility of Tagovailoa being benched this year, which would call his long-term future with the team into doubt.
Tagovailoa is due $54 million in fully guaranteed salary next year, plus another $3 million of his 2027 salary will become guaranteed in mid-March, putting the Dolphins on the hook for $57 million if Tagovailoa is on the team in 2026.
However, releasing him would trigger an NFL-record $99.2 million in dead money, so the Dolphins have some financial incentives to make things work with Tagovailoa.
Tagovailoa, 27, was selected with the No. 5 overall pick out of Alabama in 2020 by the Dolphins. He signed a four-year, $30,275,438 rookie contract with a $19,578,501 signing bonus. He earned a base salary of $1,010,000 in the final year of his deal.
The Dolphins picked up Tagovailoa’s fifth-year option worth $23,171,000 for the 2024 season.
From there, the team re-signed him to a four-year deal worth up to $212 million that included $167 million guaranteed.
In 2025, Tagovailoa has appeared in 10 games for the Dolphins and completed 68.2 percent of his passes for 1,952 yards, 17 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
We’ll have more on Tagovailoa and the Dolphins as the news is available.
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