The Dolphins got $99 million problems and Tua Tagovailoa is the one behind it all.
Miami, as expected, is releasing the former first-round pick with a post-June 1 designation and will incur a record $99 million hit in dead cap space, according to ESPN.
The Dolphins will take on a $67.4 million cap hit in 2026 and a $31.8 million cap hit in 2027 — a total of $99.2 million — and actually lose $11 million in cap space for this season, per Spotrac.
The writing had been on the wall surrounding Tagovailoa’s future in Miami for quite some time, but the Dolphins tried to trade him before moving on.
Teams ultimately did not want to take on his large contract, especially since they knew Miami would probably release him, and they could just add him via free agency. That forced Miami’s new leadership duo of general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley to just release him.
Though he did not play well last year, quarterback-needy teams could be interested in Tagovailoa at the veteran’s minimum since the Dolphins are already on the hook for the money owed.
Check back later for more on this developing story.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
