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Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said he'd be open to a "fresh start" with another team after being benched for the final three games of the 2025 NFL season,
"That would be dope," Tagovailoa told reporters during the Dolphins' exit interviews on Monday (January 5) via the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson.
Tagovailoa, 27, signed a four-year, $212.1 million extension in July 2024, which is the largest contract in Dolphins history and was the third-highest deal among NFL quarterbacks at the time, after throwing for an NFL-best 4,624 yards and a career-high 29 touchdowns in 2023. But the former Alabama standout missed a career-high six games due to hip and head injuries in 2024 and threw a career-worst 15 interceptions while going 6-8 as a starter before being benched in 2025.
Ewers, who was selected by the Dolphins in the seventh-round of the 2025 NFL Draft at No. 231 overall, went 1-2 with 622 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions on 55 of 83 passing. Releasing Tagoavailoa would include a $56.4 million cap hit in 2026 and doing so before June 1 would result in a $99.2 million dead cap hit for the 2026 season, while cutting him after June 1 would spread the dead cap hit across the next two seasons, with $67.2 million hitting in 2026.