The Dolphins’ NFL playoff race for this season ended after suffering a 28-15 loss against the Steelers. However, this defeat leads them to a major decision. They are tasked with determining the next steps for Tua Tagovailoa, who has consistently failed to live up to expectations against top-tier teams. However, head coach Mike McDaniel didn’t lean towards the possibility of benching Tagovailoa despite his struggles.

“Everybody has to do better,” McDaniel said in his post-match press conference. “I have to coach better. A lot of times, people squarely put all the focus on the quarterback. Several times tonight, he was about to make the right read, and we had our eligible [receiver] fall over. It has to be better for us to be able to win games when you’re not owning time of possession or controlling the game on the ground. That limits you a ton. It’s not up to standard. The Steelers had a good plan early. They knew where we were trying to attack.”

Though his numbers of 22 for 28 completions over 254 yards, two touchdowns, and a 113.4 passer rating may not seem that bad, Tua Tagovailoa had a disappointing performance. Especially as the Dolphins’ offense could only find three points and fewer than 100 passing yards through three quarters. Furthermore, this defeat marked Tua’s 12th loss against teams with winning records over his last 15 games.

Similarly, Tua Tagovailoa has also struggled when playing in the bright lights of prime-time football, as he is now 2-8 in his last 10 prime-time games, with 12 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Nevertheless, despite these lasting issues, moving away from Tagovailoa remains a major hurdle for Mike McDaniel and Co. with his massive four-year, $212.4 million contract extension in July 2024.

Is cutting Tua Tagovailoa a viable option for Miami?

Alongside disappointing individual performances, Tua Tagovailoa has been the central figure in the Dolphins’ decline after their playoff dreams snapped for the second consecutive year. With these results, it seems like a fair choice to move on from the quarterback and have a fresh start. But it won’t be an easy one for head coach Mike McDaniel, especially with the massive cap hit looming over Tagovailoa’s contract for the next few years.

If the Dolphins decide to move on from Tua Tagovailoa by releasing him, they will suffer a $99,200,000 dead cap currently attached to the deal, which includes $54 million of fully guaranteed salary, according to Spotrac. The magnitude of this debt is unprecedented, as the $99.2 million is nearly double the record $53 million in dead money the Denver Broncos absorbed when releasing Russell Wilson.

Keeping Tua Tagovailoa next season would carry a seemingly manageable $56.4 million cap hit. However, cutting him would be disastrous as his contract would cost the Dolphins a lot of money. Hence, it would be best for Miami to release him with a Post-June 1st Designation. This would require the team to absorb $67.4 million in dead cap for the 2026 season.

“$67.4M of that would become dead cap per a post 6/1 release, with another $31.8M of dead cap remaining for the 2027 season,” Spotrac reported. “In other words, even a Post 6/1 release would represent a cap-loss here ($11M) for the Dolphins.”

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Now, only time will tell whether Tua Tagovailoa continues in Miami as the starting quarterback or whether the Dolphins will look to bring a shot caller through the draft or via free agency, who will compete with the 2020 fifth overall for the QB1 job.