Tua Time may be over in South Florida.
The Dolphins are benching quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with three games remaining in their season, according to ESPN, in a move that could potentially foreshadow an offseason divorce.
Seventh-round rookie and third-stringer quarterback Quinn Ewers will start Sunday’s home game against the Bengals, with the team passing on starting backup and ex-Jet Zach Wilson.
The Dolphins have benched Tua Tagovailoa. Barry Reeger-Imagn ImagesThe Dolphins opting to put Tagovailoa, 27, on the bench after being eliminated from playoff contention is a potentially franchise-changing development.
Recent history indicates that such a move can be a precursor to an offseason split, with the Raiders doing so with Derek Carr before he left for the Saints after the 2022 season and the Broncos benching Russell Wilson before they released the Super Bowl-winning quarterback after the 2023 season.
Miami coach Mike McDaniel did not rule out Tuesday that the franchise could potentially bench its $212 million quarterback after an uneven showing in a frustrating season.
“The QB play (Monday) night was not good enough,” McDaniel said. “So, everything is on the table.”
The Dolphins will have to decide whether they have the stomach to eat quite a bit of money to end the underwhelming Tagovailoa era just two season after signing him to a massive extension.
Tagovailoa is fully guaranteed $54 million for next season, and cutting him before June 1 would leave the franchise with $99.2 million in dead cap space.
Quinn Ewers is the new QB1 in Miami. Getty ImagesWaiting until after June 1 would split that amount into $67.4 million in dead cap space for 2026, with $31.8 rolled over until 2027.
Trading him would be more friendly to the Dolphins’ books, but it’s hard to imagine any team wanting that contract especially with his recent performances.
Tagovailoa, the No. 5 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, began his career in ascending fashion.
He upped his touchdown passes in each of his first four seasons, while leading the Dolphins to the playoffs in the 2022 and 2023 campaigns.
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Tagovailoa tallied career-highs in touchdown passes (29) and passing yards (4,624) in 2023, with the latter leading the NFL, and that success led to Miami extending him.
He has not been the same quarterback since his big payday, with Miami going 12-13 while he’s thrown 39 touchdowns to 22 interceptions.
The former Alabama star leads the NFL with 15 interceptions this season, along with his 20 touchdown passes.
Mike McDaniel benched Tua Tagovailoa. Ed Mulholland-Imagn ImagesTagovailoa has also dealt with scary concussion issues that have led to some pushing him to retire.
In choosing Ewers to replace Tagovailoa, the Dolphins are looking to the future since Wilson is on a one-year, $6 million deal.
Ewers starred at Texas and once had been considered a top pick, but he slipped after an inconsistent 2024 season for the Longhorns.
He has appeared in one game, completing 5 of 8 passes for 58 yards against Cleveland on Oct. 19.
The Dolphins will be hiring a new general manager this offseason after dismissing Chris Grier midseason, and it’s possible McDaniel’s fate could be up for discussion.
