The Miami Dolphins wanted a reset this offseason. Instead, they may be stuck paying for the past before they can build the future. Because right now, every quarterback decision the franchise makes runs directly through Tua Tagovailoa’s contract.

NFL insider Ian Rapoport explained on The Rich Eisen Show that Miami’s cap situation doesn’t just complicate a rebuild, it actively limits it. The team would like flexibility to pursue a quarterback such as Malik Willis, but the numbers tied to Tagovailoa could block that path entirely.

“So first the Tua part of that, if they are going to do a trade, they are going to eat a lot of the salaries,” Rapoport said. “It would really be just like, can they save whatever the number is, five or ten (million), and get some sort of traffic, like a mid-round pick… Either way, cap-wise, it’s sting. It’s like, this is a problem.”

That changes the story from a normal roster move into a financial trap. Miami is not deciding who they want at quarterback. They are deciding what they can survive.

Tagovailoa is owed $54 million guaranteed in 2026. Because of that, almost every exit option hurts the team. A pre-June 1 release would trigger a $99.2 million dead cap hit. Keeping him until after June 1 spreads the damage to $67.4 million in 2026 and $31.8 million in 2027. Even a trade still leaves $45.2 million on the books.

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As a result, Miami cannot simply move on cleanly. The front office would likely need to attach salary relief just to convince another team to take him.

Rapoport added that this financial squeeze also affects their ability to sign replacements. “I think Malik Willis is going to have a really good market,” he said. “So can they find a way to keep him under the cap? I don’t know, because they’re going to have competition… When you actually look at the money, that would be tough for Miami to do.”

FOX Sports’ Greg Auman projected Willis could command a deal around two years, $40 million, similar to Justin Fields. For a team already absorbing massive dead money, matching that price becomes difficult. The Dolphins are not bidding against teams anymore. They are bidding against their own accounting sheet.

Dolphins want a fresh start but trade isn’t simple

Miami’s leadership change signals the franchise is ready to move forward. Jeff Hafley and Jon-Eric Sullivan arrived from Green Bay to lead the next phase, and the quarterback decision sits at the center of it.

However, wanting a reset and executing one are different things. “Like even Tua himself has said a fresh start would make sense,” Rapoport said. “That seems to be the direction they’re going… can they trade him? I know they would like to, but how feasible is it? I think that’s certainly a question.”

That uncertainty defines the offseason. A trade would be preferable to a release, yet financial logistics may decide the outcome more than football evaluation. Because of that, Miami faces a rare scenario. The team may carry significant cap damage whether Tagovailoa stays or leaves. At the same time, competition for veteran quarterbacks could price them out of alternatives like Willis.

The Dolphins are attempting a regime change while still tied to an old contract. That creates a rebuild without true financial freedom. If they keep Tagovailoa, flexibility disappears. If they trade him, they still pay heavily. If they release him, the cap hit becomes historic.

Meanwhile, the quarterback market continues to rise, which only increases the cost of replacing him. So the organization’s first major decision is not choosing a quarterback. It is choosing which financial consequence they can tolerate. Until that answer exists, Miami’s rebuild cannot fully begin.